Disaster Holiday Or not An LJ fic by Lin
by x-cupcakie-x
Summary: This story is set during the summer holiday right after sixth year . Lily and her family are all going on a cruise, but she gets the shock of her life when she comes on board. How will she ever see the end of this holiday...
1. Chapter One: Holiday plans

[b][u]Chapter one: Holiday plans.[/b][/u]

"Ha-ha-haaaaaaa-choe!" I sneezed loudly. "Molly, do you mind? Stop tickling me under my nose with that jinxed quill!" My best friend, Molly Prewitt, giggled, and put her wand down. The jinxed quill fluttered to the ground. We were on the Hogwarts Express, heading for King's Cross Station in London, going home for the summer holidays. At this time, me, Molly, Emmaline Vance and Hestia Jones were fooling around a bit, trying to kill time. It was a long journey, but in some aspects to short. Only about an hour left, before we all would go separate ways for two months. We would not be seeing each other. We would write, sure, but heck I was going to miss the lot of them.

"Where are you all going for the summer holidays by the way?" Hestia asked us. She was seated opposite of me, next to the window, her legs pulled underneath her, her elbow resting on the arm rest, her head resting on her hand.

"Probably I'm going camping again with my parents in Wales" Molly said shrugging. "I haven't asked my mom yet though, but I can't see why we would do something else. We go camping every year at the same old boring camping site. It will be a disaster!" She rolled her eyes and made a face.

"At least you're going _somewhere_" Emmaline stated. "I'm staying home, as usual. I'd love to go somewhere at least once!" She let out a heavy sigh and looked out of the window, a sad look in her eyes.

I patted my friend on the shoulder. "If it was possible, I'd say you could come with me." I said. But my parents already booked five tickets for a cruise, and my sister insisted on bringing her boyfriend along." I made a face when I mentioned Vernon, Petunia's boyfriend. I didn't like him. To hot-headed. His neck was to thick, and then that stupid little mustache. I truly didn't understand what my sister saw in that guy. "Now let's hope I can avoid them on board. Shouldn't be to hard, right? I don't have to spend a cabin with them, thank God for that." Me and my friends laughed.

"So, apart from avoiding _Tuney_ and _Verny_," Hestia said while snickering "what are you going to do on board?" My friend raised a perfectly arched eyebrow suggestively, a mischievous grin spread across her face. In many ways, Hestia was the opposite of me. A bit of a troublemaker, not really bothering enough to pay attention in classes, often getting late. But somehow, she passed her exams at the end of the year each time, just by lending my notes mostly and cramming them into her head the night before. But I still loved her tons.  
I giggled. "Well, what do girls when they go on a sunny holiday on a cruise ship? Look for some nice guy and fall head over heels in love. Other than that, some sight seeing, reading, scuba diving, y'know, that sort of stuff."

Hestia laughed. "But you know that would break James' heart if you did that, right?" She said, slightly more serious now. "He's liked you for years, he wouldn't like it if you got back from the holidays all rambling about some guy you hardly know."

I made a face. "Oh yeah, sure, Potter likes me." I said with a sarcastic undertone in my voice. "That's why he put itching powder in my clothes and hair brush on April 1st. That's why he messed up my Polyjuice Potion last month during class. That's why he-" Emmaline broke me off in the middle of my sentence.

"Maybe he just does that to impress you. Maybe he thinks it's a good way to get attention from you." Emmaline stated. "Besides, he hasn't always been like that, hasn't he? And I do want to add, that I think that he has matured a lot this year. You could give him a chance, you know."

"Well, whatever he thinks, this is _not_ the right way to get my attention, only if he wants to be jinxed by me." I said, folding my arms across my chest. "And the only time I would ever go out with Potter is when the Slytherins are going to love muggle borns and when my name is Easter Bunny. So as you can clearly see, it ain't gonna happen."

"Aw, come on now Evans, you know deep down that you want me." A to familiar voice said near the compartment door. I let out a heavy sigh. Great, what does he wants, I thought to myself. I slowly turned my head towards the door, rolling my eyes. There, in the doorway, stood the 'Marauders', or at least, that's what they called themselves. James Potter, Quidditch Captain, big-headed git. Sirius Black, Quidditch team member, position Beater, the heart-breaker of Hogwarts, and James' partner in crime, and in detention. Peter Pettigrew, short boy with a rat-like face, Potter's and Black's cheerleader. And then there was Remus Lupin. A pale boy who always had bags under his eyes, wearing shabby clothes, but nonetheless, the nicest one of the four. At least he didn't get into trouble that much. I leaned back in my seat, annoyed by their presence. "What do you want, Potter?" I snapped.

James just ignored the tone in my voice, walked in as his friends did, and squeezed himself between me and Molly, who was sitting right next to me. He ruffled up his hair and smirked. "You didn't have to go sit right on top of Molly, you know." I said, my eyes slightly narrowing. I pushed away his arm, which he had just laid upon my shoulders, and stood up, sitting between Hestia and Remus. At least he couldn't get at me when I was seated here. "And you still haven't answered my question. What do you want? "

James smirked again. "I was going to ask you something, but it seems like I have to do two things first before I am going to." He said. He leaned back in his seat, his head rested against the compartment wall before he continued. Hope he doesn't makes himself feel too comfortable, I though to myself, as he was clearly not wanted here. "First," he started "I'll have to use the Imperius Curse on the Slytherins and tell them to be nice to muggle borns. And second, I have to give you a new name. Hm, I have to say I do still prefer Evans over Easter Bunny though, but if you insist.." Oh great, so he heard us, I thought to myself, annoyed. James ruffled up his already messy hair again. I rolled my eyes as he did so.

"Fine, let me put it this way then." I snapped. "I will NOT go out with you, alright? You're totally the opposite of me, so get over it!"

James' smirk didn't fade. "Never had Chemistry before?" He asked. "Opposites attract, every one knows that. But it's okay. I'm positive you'll come around some day." I just simply rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

At that time, to my relief, the train finally started to slow down. I quickly jumped up and pulled out my trunk from the luggage rack. Every one else got on their feet as well. I headed for the door, but James blocked my way. "Have a nice summer my Lily Flower, I will miss you." He said with a smirk, and before I, or any one, could stop him, he kissed my cheek and headed off the train. I boiled with rage. "Yeah, you better go quickly!" I shouted after him. "Before I'll hex you!" I stalked out of the compartment and off the train, quickly followed by my friends.

"Why would you hex him?" Molly said, to my dislike, in disbelief. "That was so sweet of him!"

"Just don't forget he acted like an arrogant git before he did that." I said, still a bit angry. I stalked off towards an archway where a man in a conductor's suite was standing, letting people pass in groups of three's and four's, so they wouldn't draw attention to the muggles on the other side on platform nine and ten. I was anxious to get through. I hadn't seen my parents since the Christmas holidays, and although I missed Hogwarts a lot during the two month absence, I missed my parents about just as much.  
When it was finally mine, Molly's, Emmaline's and Hesia's turn to pass through the fence, I ran at full speed, dragging my trunk behind me. For a fraction of a second, everything around me was pitch black, and then I found myself standing between platforms nine and ten in King's Cross Station. I stood on my tippy-toes to see if I spotted my parents anywhere, but before I did, of course, my shepherd dog, Castor, noticed me first. He ran up to me, barking and jumping happily as he tried to lick my face. I laughed and scratched him between the ears. "Missed me so much huh, ol' pal?" I said smiling. "Now c'mon, show me where Mum and Dad are." Castor barked again happily and made his way over to my parents. They were talking to some other people, clearly they were wizards, seeing as older witches and wizards didn't quite know how to dress like muggles, so their clothes were mis-matched.

My mom was the first to notice I was there. She smiled at her youngest daughter and pulled me into a hug. "Had a good term, honey?" Mom asked me.

"When are my terms not good, mom?" I asked smiling, hugging my mother back. "If you want to know my grades, they're good as usual. My friends are all good to, as are their families. I miss Hogwarts already, but I am also glad to be home." I let go of my mom and gave my dad a hug as well. I saw that Petunia was standing a few feet away, together with her boyfriend. She gave me a nasty look before turning and demanding Vernon's attention. Oh, so the holidays were going to be like _that_, I thought to herself.

"Shall we get going?" My dad asked me. He turned back to the unfamiliar family. Their son had just joined them. They were Potter's family, I now realized. I nodded once at him and gave his family a polite smile. "It was very nice and interesting to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter." I heard my father say to them while he shook hands with them.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. and Mrs. Evans." Mr. Potter said. "Have a nice holiday, and maybe we'll meet again on September 1st on the platform." They shook my mother's hand as well. Then me and my family walked off. But I could swear I heard James' mom saying to him: "So that was Lily, huh? You ought to treat her more nicely, she looks like a lovely girl to me." I smirked slightly and walked out of the train station towards the car, my dog walking close beside me.


	2. Chapter Two: Rushed packing

[b][u]Chapter two: Rushed packing.[/b][/u]

Me, my family and Vernon, "The Whale" as I decided to call him (but only to myself of course), didn't talk that much on the way home. It had been a long journey for me of course, so I was kind of tired. My head was rested against the window of the mini van, my emerald green eyes almost closing entirely from time to time, as I had to fought back sleep. I'd go straight up to bed after dinner. First of all, because I could use a good night sleep of course, second, I didn't want be stuck with the lovey-dovey Petunia and The Whale in the living room in front of the television all night. I looked over my shoulder. Castor was watching me curiously, his head slightly tilted to one side. I grinned and scratched him behind the ears. "What'cha looking at, huh?" I muttered, before I looked in front of me again.

I jumped slightly when I felt some one was shaking my arm. "We're home dear, let's get inside." I heard her mother say. I blinked my eyes a few times. Hm, apparently I had drifted off to sleep for a little while. I yawned, muffling the sound with the sleeve of my green polo shirt, which matched the color of my eyes and brought them out even more, and stretched once before stepping out of the mini van. I walked over to the trunk of the car to get out my trunk, and Castor. Castor quickly jumped out and barked happily while running towards the house, only to be distracted by the neighbor's tabby cat, who just dared to cross the garden. Castor started chasing after the cat, barking happily, wagging his tail. "Never get tired, do you." I muttered, before I called for my dog to get inside.

When I walked inside through the heavy cherry tree wooden door, I dumped my trunk under the spiral staircase which lead to the upper floor. I'd take it up stairs after dinner. I crossed the hallway and walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the kitchen table, looking around the familiar room. It hadn't changed since the last time I sat here during the Christmas holidays. The floor was made of oak wood, as was the table and the chairs. The cabinets were painted yellow, my mother's favorite color. It wasn't this very bright obnoxious yellow. This color reminded me of the sun, which brought the cruise back to my mind. This would be so awesome, I thought to herself, a small smile upon my lips. "By the way, mom." I said. "I forgot to ask, when are we leaving exactly?"

My mother looked up from one of the pans she was stirring in. "You don't know?" She asked her youngest daughter. "I thought I put that in the letter. You might want to go upstairs to pack, honey. Because we're leaving tomorrow."

I gasped and looked at the clock. "At what time will dinner be ready, mom?" I asked.

"An hour, maybe an hour and a half." Her mother said, slightly shrugging, turning her attention back to the pans on the cooker. "You can start packing now, and when you're not finished in time, you can finish it after dinner. Don't wait until morning though, I want everything to go smoothly." She warned her daughter. I nodded and quickly jumped to my feet and ran out of the kitchen.

I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, dragging my heavy trunk behind me. Each time my trunk bounced on one of the steps, a loud bang could be heard, echoing in the large hallway. "Would you mind, Lils?" I heard my dad call from the living room. "We would like to use those to get upstairs a little longer, if you don't mind!"

At that time, I was already on the upper floor. "Sorry, dad!" I shouted, then I ran up to my room. I closed the door behind me and crossed my room. I let go of the handle of my trunk and sat down on my bed for one moment, looking around.

My room was rather large, and everything was white, with some golden and red accents here and there. I had a large bed, with white sheets and golden and red colored roses on the blanket. The cushions were also white, again with red and golden roses on it to match the blanket. The only furniture in my room that wasn't white was my big, mahogany desk, and a black leather chair behind it. I knew it didn't match anything in my room, but I couldn't just throw it away. The chair was way too comfortable, and the desk had been in the family for years. Maybe a weird heirloom, but no one had ever dared to get rid of it, but no one knew why. One entire wall of my room was made of glass. Well, it wasn't exactly a window, it were two glass doors, which lead to my balcony, which had a great view on my back garden. I loved to sit there at night, watching the stars, let the cool summer breeze play with my hair, and write. Either homework, or sometimes even poems, but I had never dared to let any one read them.

With a big sigh, I stood up from my bed and kneeled down next to my trunk. First, I dived under my bed, pulling out a large suitcase. I wouldn't bring my trunk on board, who used trunks on a holiday nowadays? I didn't want to draw attention. So a normal suitcase would do. After that, I opened my trunk and started heaving things over in my suitcase. I packed a few school books, so maybe I'd do some of the homework the teachers had assigned us. I packed "Advanced Spell Works", "Advanced Potion Making" and the books we used in Ancient Runes class. After that, I packed enough parchment to write my essays on, a few quills and 2 bottles of jet black ink. Thinking it over again, I decided to pack some more parchment, so I would be able to write my friends and tell them all about all the exciting events which would occur on my holiday.

After I was finished with that, I walked over to my large, white (of course it was white) wardrobe and started packing my clothes. When I was done with that, I couldn't help but laugh a little at myself. I'd packed enough to stay on the sea for about a month rather than a week. I had packed five pairs of jeans, seven skirts, four dresses which variated from strapless to long sleeved, three blouses, five polo shirts, two tank tops, three spaghetti shirts, four bathing suits, countless amounts of underwear and socks, three pairs of boots, four pairs of flip-flops and two pairs of tennis shoes. Hm, if I continued like this there wouldn't be any room left for my favorite reading books and my toilet bag, I thought to myself. Rummaging through my trunk, I looked for my wand. A little enlarging spell couldn't hurt, right? There would be nothing to see from the outside of it. Nodding to myself slightly I waved my wand and muttered a spell. Just when I was finished, admiring my work, I heard my mom call me from downstairs, saying dinner was ready. "Coming, mum!" I called back, before leaving my room and walking down the stairs.


	3. Chapter Three: Making new friends

[b][u]Chapter Three: Making new friends.[/b][/u]

I couldn't help but look at the amazing view from my cabin's window in awe. From this side of the ship, I had a great view on the port in Newcastle. It was a bright sunny day. The sunbeams reflected in the windows of the terminal, and the people outside looked like ants from up here. After watching them for a while, I finally turned my back on the window, and took a closer look at my cabin. It was smaller than my own room back home near Spinner's End, but this would absolutely do. On the floor there was deep wine red colored soft carpet. The door which lead outside and the bathroom door were made of mahogany wood, as was the little wardrobe and the bedside cabinets. I had a four poster bed with red sheets, cushions and curtains, which reminded me of my bed back at Hogwarts. The bathroom was entirely white, and quite small, but everything I needed was in there. I didn't even have to bring my own shampoos and soaps, as they crew had taken care of that, but I put my toilet products on the small shelf beneath the mirror anyways. I loved the smell of my own shampoo's and such.

After I was finished unpacking everything, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to explore the ship. I didn't have anything better to do anyways until dinner, and I would write to my friends after dinner. After taking one last look at the room that would be mine for an entire week, I stepped out of the door, closing it behind me.

Almost unnoticeable, the ship started to move. But no gust of wind was outside; therefore, there weren't any waves as well. The ship would be able to leave the harbor quite smoothly. I turned around the corner in the corridor on the third deck, and walked up the stairs to the second deck. I knocked on the second door on my right, my parent's cabin. After a few seconds, my mom opened the door to see who it was. "I'm going for a little walk outside." I said, slightly nodding. "You know, explore everything and such. I'll see you at dinner, alright?"

My mom nodded in agreement. "That sounds quite all right, Lily." My mother said smiling. "You have fun, and don't be late, okay? And don't forget, the restaurant we're eating is-" But I cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"Yes mom, I know, it's on the fifth deck, next to the shops." I said, sighing slightly. "You told me that like, a gazillion times already. I won't forget, I promise. Love you, mom." And when I had given my mother a kiss on the cheek, I hurried off.

This ship wasn't just huge, I thought to myself. This ship was enormous! They should've given all the passengers maps of the ship. Take a wrong corner, and you'd be lost for eternity! It had taken me an half an hour, but I had finally managed to find a door which lead outside, although I wasn't sure I was allowed to take that door. A sign above it read "Emergency Door", but, as I had decided, if I would've gotten caught using that door, I'd simply say I hadn't seen the sign. It was either taking this door, or search for another half an hour to find another one. At the moment, I was leaning against the railing, my arms folded. A slight breeze played with my hair, which tickled a bit. I was enjoying the sight of the small waves, the warm sunlight on my cheeks, daydreaming, until two distant voices slightly disturbed me. To familiar voices. Voices that I shouldn't even be hearing. It was not possible, right…

Just when I had come to the conclusion that I had just imagined it, the two men to whom the voices belonged to walked around the corner, laughing hysterically. I froze right there for just a fraction of a second, before panic took over. I quickly turned around and started running. I nearly slipped and fell when I turned around the corner way to fast, but I kept my balance and ran at full speed again. I had been long gone before Potter and Black would've been able to spot me, but I wouldn't take any risks. _Why_ on earth were they _here_? This world was so big, of all the places they could've gone to on their holidays, they had to pick the same as me! Cursing slightly under my breath, I ran around another corner, but came to an abrupt halt when I bumped into some one.

"Ow" Was the only thing I managed to choke out when I fell flat on my back. That would leave a bruise for sure. I sat up straight, rubbing my lower back, and looked up to the person whom I had bumped into to apologize, but stopped dead in the action. I stared into a pair of amazing green eyes, the man's face closer to mine than I thought he was. The eyes were full of concern. "Are you all right?" The man asked me with an attractive low voice. He held out his hand to me to help me get up. I took it and pulled myself up. "Uh, yeah I'm fine." I said breathlessly. "Sorry about that." I muttered the last sentence and looked down at my feet.

I heard the man chuckle slightly. "Oh it's quite all right." He said, flashing me a dazzling smile, which made my heart skip a beat. "No blood right? What's your name, anyways?"

"Lily." I said, again, a little breathless. Oh gawd, _why_ did I have to make such a fool of myself, I thought to myself as my cheeks slightly flushed again. "What's yours?" I asked.

"Eric." He said and he held out his hand again, this time to shake mine. I took it. His hands were actually quite large, covering mine entirely. He shook it a few times, and then let go. "It's very nice to meet you, Lily." He said, grinning. "But, unfortunately, I can not linger any longer. You see, I work here, on the deck where they host games and such for the kids, and I really should get back before any one misses me. Maybe I'll see you around later." He flashed me one of his dazzling smiles again before he left me.

"Yes." I said. "Maybe I'll see you around again."


	4. Chapter Three: Continued

[b][u]Chapter three: Continued.[/b][/u]

I couldn't help but watch in awe as Eric walked away from me. Before he turned the corner, he turned to me once more, waved once smiling, and then he was gone. It took me a few seconds to become my normal self again. When I had told my friends back on the train, which seemed like years ago now, my holiday plans were to find a guy and fall head over heels for him I was kind of just joking. Lily, a boyfriend? How, with my busy and hectic life? I had had one boyfriend in the past; it had lasted exactly three months. I had always thought I wasn't exactly girlfriend material. Was I now? Was there actually a chance that _he_ would like _me_? And most of all, would it last?

I started to walk, not really knowing what my direction was, lost in thoughts. How would I do this? I mean, he probably had lots of girls already, what made me different from them? Second, how would I find him again? That thought made me give up all hopes. This ship was enormous! He had told me he worked on the deck where they hosted the games for the kids, but where was that?

Not until then, I had finally noticed my surroundings. I saw that I had reached the pool deck at that point. I sat down on a bench, leaning back, sighing slightly. I might've wanted to pick out a different place to sit down and think. I saw that I was surrounded by a lot of people my age. There was only one difference. They were all gorgeous, tanned and slim. And there I was, Lily Evans, as white as a sheet because of my red hair, with stupid little freckles across the bridge of my nose, perhaps a little to round for my height. I started to feel even more depressed. With all those girls around, Eric probably wouldn't even notice I was there!

I leaned back on the bench, closing my eyes sadly, sighing. I was just about to give up the entire plan, when I heard someone calling, apparently calling me.

"Hello-ho! Someone there? Yeah I mean you, with the red wavy hair!"

I opened her eyes, and my mouth almost literally fell open. Okay, I'll edit myself for a moment there. With just this _girl_ around, how would Eric ever notice me!? This girl was everything I was not. She was very tall, oval shaped green eyes, long blonde straight hair, and very tanned. The golden colored bikini the girl wore accentuated that even more. Why would she want to talk to me? Think she looked even prettier when she would be sitting next to me, making the contrast even bigger?

The girl grinned at me, showing her perfectly straight and white teeth. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" the girl asked, still smiling. "You looked so alone and sad."

It took me about a second to find my voice again. "Sure." I said. "Go right ahead."

"Thanks." The girl said, flashing me another grin as she sat down next to me. "My name is Rachel by the way." She held out a hand for me to shake.

"I'm Lily" I responded, taking her hand and shaking it, smiling.

"Nice meeting you." The girl said as she let go of my hand. "So what were you thinking about then? You seemed so lost in your thoughts, you barely even noticed me!" She laughed her ringing laugh.

I thought about that for a second. If I told her the truth, she'd probably thought I was a sad, depressed no-lifer. This was kind of true I think, depending how you looked at it. "Learning the valuable lessons of life." I finally said, shrugging slightly like it didn't matter.

Rachel nodded. "Deep." She answered. "Am I allowed to know what lessons that were today?" She raised an eyebrow questionably. How come she was that interested in me, I thought to myself. Again, I thought for a second about how much I would tell her. Certainly not too much, but the main thing couldn't hurt. "Just a guy." I said, nodding.

"Ah, okay." Rachel said, understanding. "Guys can give you quite a lot to ponder about. So tell me, who is he?"

"His name is Eric, and he's like, totally amazing!" Once I now started talking about him, I could hardly stop rambling. About his beautiful eyes, his gorgeous figure, his dazzling smile, his deep low voice which sounded like music in my ears. But then I suddenly stopped and my face fell. "But how will he ever notice me?" I said, looking down at my feet.

"Well I think he already has, you just told me all about it" Rachel reminded me.

"Yes I know, but that's not quite what I mean." I said, not being able to keep the sadness out of my voice. "They're tons of girls on this ship, all better-looking then me. With them around, who would see me? And second, this ship is huge! I would never be able to find him again!" I sighed. I expected Rachel to do the same, but she did not. Instead of that, she jumped up and grinned.

"Never say never, Lils!" She said excitedly. "When there's a will, there's a way. And I know the way. C'mon!" She tried to drag me up by my arm, but I didn't move in an instant. "What do you mean?" I asked her, my eyes slightly narrowing.

"Well, you just told me he worked on the ship, right?" Rachel exclaimed. "On the deck where they host the games for the kids? We'll just go to the employee's lounge. They have the working schedules there for every crew member!"

I finally started to get up, but I still wasn't quite convinced this would work. "How do you know that?" I asked her.

"Oh, my aunt and uncle own a travel agency." She said, shrugging. "I'm their favorite niece, they always take me on holidays with them. I've been on ships like this one a dozen times already. So are you coming now or not? Or else I'll do it and keep him all to myself!" I looked at her, shocked. When she saw the panic in my eyes, she stopped smiling. "Of course I wouldn't, silly. I'm loyal to my friends, I never go after a friend's boyfriend or crush. Besides, boyfriends are way to much trouble if you ask me. I'll stay free and have fun." Suddenly she leaned to me and started to talk more softly. "As a matter of fact, me and my best friend made a bet. If I kiss one guy every day on this cruise, she'll make my homework for a month. HA!" She started to talk in a normal tone again, a mischievous grin spread across her face. She reminded me of Hestia somewhat. "She's going to lose that bet, that's for sure! And you're going to be my witness! But it's not about me now, it's about you. So are you coming or what?"

I suddenly felt a bit happier. Yes, I even had hope this might even work! "I'm with you!" I said, grinning widely, as we started to walk off, heading for the employee's lounge.


	5. Chapter Four: Dinner Time

[b][u]Chapter four: Dinner time.[/b][/u]

When I arrived at my cabin later that afternoon, I felt like dancing. Getting Eric's schedule hadn't been quite as difficult as I thought it would've been. Luckily for Rach and me, the employee's lounge had been empty when we arrived there, so in just a few minutes time, we copied his schedule and then we were off again. I believed I had thanked her a gazillion times after that, driving her almost to insanity.

"How many times do I have to say this?" Rach had said, rolling her eyes and laughing. "It was _nothing_! I'm just glad I could help a friend in need."

After that, we had decided to go back to the pool. Rach still had a bet to win of course, and seeing as she had given me the assignment of being her witness… I hadn't quite told her yet that I thought this bet maybe was a bad idea, but it was her life, and her choice, so I just kept my mouth shut and followed along. Although I do have to add that it had been quite a funny experience to sit beside the pool with my new friend, giving grades to guys.

"What about that one?" I asked Rach, pointing at a guy with blonde hair and blue shorts.

Rach turned her head and wrinkled her nose. "Mwah, his legs are to pale." She said. "Maybe he'll look better at the end of the cruise, when he's finally got a tan. But for now, no more than a six. What grade do you give him, Lils?"

I shrugged. "Oh, in my eyes he deserves at least an eight." I said.

Rach laughed. "With what kind of guys do you usually hang out with then?" She asked me, amused. "Oh well, we'll give him a seven then, the average of our two grades. Sounds good enough?" I nodded, laughing.

We sat in silent for a while then, scanning the surroundings for guys 'worthy enough' for Rach, until I saw her jump up from the corner of my eye. "Oooohh, but _that_ one is a ten for sure!" She said, excitedly. I followed her gaze and nodded approvingly. The man was tall, blonde and had the body of a surfer. He was seated across the pool, reading a book, but from this distance I couldn't quite make out the title. He wasn't really my type, but for Rach, he was perfect. "I'm going to get the first kiss on this cruise from him, watch me." Rach said, excitement in her eyes.

I laughed. "Go get 'em, tiger." I said in encouragement, and I watched her make her way over to the other side. Within no time, she had arranged a seat right next to the man, and within the minute, he was already rubbing tan oil on her back. Long after he was finished with that, she stayed there, talking animatedly, laughing every now and then about something he said. At first it was rather amusing, but it got kind of old after a while. After about fifteen minutes, I decided to go back to my cabin. I waved her goodbye, although I wasn't quite sure she had noticed me, and then I walked off.

So now I was seated on my bed, a huge grin spread across my face, Eric's schedule on my lap. I almost felt the urge to call Potter's cabin, just to tick him off, but I didn't. First of all, I didn't even know at what cabin he was staying. Second, that was just waaay to low, even if I didn't believe he was in love with me. Third, he didn't know I was on this cruise, right? Fourth, wasn't my plan for this cruise to spend as much time as I could around Eric, and away from Potter?

Now, spending time around Eric, that was a subject to ponder about. How would I do that, without making a fool of myself, and without being to obnoxious about it? It would've come in handy if I had a little brother or sister who desperately needed to play some games, but I didn't have a younger sibling. And I was sure Petunia wouldn't be bribed into it either, no matter how tempting the idea was at this time. "I don't have any little brothers or sisters either, or you'd gladly could borrow those little boogie-eaters from me." Rach had told me, so that wasn't an option either.

At that time, I hadn't quite realized how tired I was. I muffled a yawn in my sleeve and looked at the alarm clock. Hm… Only three hours left until I would be expected at the dinner table, so a little nap couldn't hurt, right? I put Eric's schedule on my bedside cabinet, lay down in the cushions, and almost immediately drifted off into unconsciousness.

…

_Riiiiiiing! Riiiiiiing! Riiiiiiing!_

I woke with a groan. What the-… Who would call me now? I picked up the telephone. "Hello?" I said in a slight raspy voice, still thick from the sleep. "Lils? Are you almost ready, darling? We're supposed to be at the restaurant in fifteen minutes." It was my mother on the other end, slightly annoyed. "You'll be there in time, right?"

I was instantly awake. "Don't worry mom, I'll be there!" I said while throwing the horn back on the hook and jumping out of bed at the same time. So much for a short nap then. Had it really been that long? I rushed over to the shower while stripping off my clothes, leaving them everywhere. I'll tidy up later, I thought to myself. I showered in record time, and then put on a brown dress with short sleeves with blue lotus flowers on it. At the same time I put on my shoes, I blow-dried my hair. Just a little bit of mascara and lipgloss, and I was off. The entire process hadn't taken me more then ten minutes, a record time for me.

I ran towards the restaurant at full speed, and nearly bumped into Rach at the door. She laughed when she saw me. "In a hurry, aren't we?" She said, grinning. "I'd thought you'd have plenty of time to get ready for dinner, you left so suddenly this afternoon."

"Yeah, sorry about that." I said, panting. "It was so boring there on my own, I decided to go back and take a little nap, but I kind of overslept a bit." Rach laughed at that. "But whatever." I said, wanting to change the subject, I didn't like being the topic of the joke. "What about you, did you get that kiss?"

Rach grinned and shrugged. "Of course I did." She said. "Was a good kiss to, but other then that, that guy was really boring, so I dumped him quickly after that." She shrugged again and held the door to the restaurant open for me.

I still didn't really like that entire bet of hers. You shouldn't treat men that way. But, again, I kept my mouth shut, and followed her inside, looking around to see if I spotted my parents, to stop dead in the action. Oh no… My family, sitting at the same table… With… Oh no… I felt like hyperventilating. Like fainting. But most of all, like running.


	6. Chapter Four: Continued

[b][u]Chapter four: Continued.[/b][/u]

Rachel tried to follow my gaze, but seeing as she didn't know anyone who was seated at my table, she didn't quite understand the big fuss. "What's wrong, Lils?" She asked me, a puzzled look on her face, an eyebrow arched.

It had taken me a few seconds to get back to the real world again, and I groaned. "What would you say," I began. "If I told you that earlier this afternoon I found out that two of my least favorite people in the world, are on board this ship as well, and I just found out I'll be spending a table with them for the rest of the week during both breakfast and dinner, and possibly lunch as well?"

Rach looked puzzled at first, and then she started to laugh. "Well, that's just your luck then." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes, trying to hold back her laughter. "What a small world this is."

Just then, my mother had noticed me as well, and motioned me to have my seat and have dinner with them. I took a deep breath, and started to walk towards the table, Rach close beside me. "Well, look at the bright side." She said, grinning.

"Is there a bright side to this story then?" I asked, not quite being able to keep the disapproval out of my voice.

"There certainly is, Lils." Rach said. "Seems like they have a little daughter. She seems about the age when they desperately need to be occupied by lets say playing games on a certain deck on this ship with a certain guy who possibly has some interests in a certain red-haired woman called Lily?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly, scanned the table for a second time, when I saw her. She had the same eyes as her big brother, almond shaped and hazel, but her mother's hair, thick and chocolate blonde and straight. She couldn't be older then about a year or seven. A small smile appeared on my lips. Would she be bribed into it?

Just then, I had arrived at my table. Rach waved me goodbye. "Good luck, Lils." She said, grinning. I sighed slightly. "Thanks, I'm going to need it." I said, with a small sarcastic undertone in my voice. Rach giggled once, and then she walked away from us, towards her own table and her uncle and aunt. Once I had taken my seat, I grabbed the menu from my plate and hid my face behind it, desperately trying not to meet nor James' or Sirius' gaze. I tried to catch Rach's eye, but just then noticed she was a bit to preoccupied with watching the two young men at my table. I tried to suppress a grin when I thought of the possibility of her using them to win her bet. I was sure Sirius wouldn't mind, he wasn't one for a steady girlfriend.

My mother just turned to me right then. "We have already given our orders to the waiter." She said, apparently still slightly annoyed that I was a bit to late. "I ordered mushroom ravioli for you. You like that, right?"

I nodded. "That sounds good, thanks." I muttered. Seeing as there was no further use for looking at a menu when there was already ordered, I put it down next to my plate. I didn't quite know what to do to keep myself occupied, and I didn't quite felt like having a conversation with Potter and Black, so I was sure this was going to be the longest dinner ever. I folded my hands in my lap, and looked around, rather bored. Mr. Potter had to notice I didn't have much to talk about, as he started talking about school to me. "So, Lily." He started, smiling. "From what I've heard from James and Sirius you are doing pretty well in school. Most muggle-borns seem to get pretty nervous when they first go to a school like Hogwarts, because it is all so new to them. But all that hadn't applied to you I assume."

I smiled shyly. "I try my best I guess." I said. "Some just happen to have the advantage of being a part of this world since they were born, but that doesn't always mean they're the best at everything. Everyone has to start at the very beginning, so being nervous isn't quite necessary if you ask me. We all have to learn the same, no one really has a head start."

Mr. Potter nodded approvingly at my words. "All very true." He said. Then he turned to his daughter, who I had never seen in my life. "You heard what Lily said, Kaylee. You may have the advantage of knowing about it all since you were born, but just like everyone else you'll have to start at the beginning, no matter what you think about it." He laughed, and so did everyone else at the table, except from my sister, who had a very sour look on her face, and Vernon.

Kaylee folded her little arms in front of her chest and frowned. "But you know I have a big brother who would gladly help me out and provide me my head start, now won't you Jamesy?" She said in a sugar sweet voice. James laughed. "And what would you do to return the favor, little Kay Kay?" He asked, an amused look on his face, pulling her ponytail playfully. "Just what I always do." She exclaimed, shrugging. Then she turned to me. "You know most of his pranks are my idea, but he would never admit it. He isn't one for sharing credit."

"That's just because there is no credit to share, Kay Kay." He said, laughing. Kaylee rolled her eyes. "Suuure." She said. "Then whose idea was it to put the itching powder in Malfoy's clothes and hairbrush on April 1st? Indeed. Mine." She leaned back in her seat, a satisfied smile on her little round face.

I frowned. "But I guess it was his idea to put into _my_ clothes and hairbrush instead of Lucius's, now wasn't it?" I said, looking into Potter's direction, leaning onto the table with one arm, but before he could answer, of course, Kaylee answered first. She rolled her eyes. "Oh James, won't you ever learn?" She said. "Pulling pranks on the girl you like will never impress her! It will just make her angry. Or in the case of a fiery red-head, murderous." The entire table started laughing again, but I could swear I could hear James mutter something like "What would you know about it, little seven-year-old." Good, so my guess about her age had been right.

At that time, luckily, our meal was served. I tried to eat it fast, but not to fast. I didn't want anyone to notice I was in a hurry. Not that I had anywhere to go, but Potter and Black were getting on my nerves a bit. I couldn't tell why though, as they didn't do something wrong particularly. It was probably just the years of annoyance that creped up at that point. I was finished when my mother was. I gave her one pleading look, and she nodded once at me, smiling. I muttered a small apology at the rest of the people at the table, and stood up, making my way out of the restaurant. Little did I know that I was being followed outside…


	7. Chapter Four: Still Continued

[b][u]Chapter four: Continued.[/b][/u]

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath once I was outside. Finally, space! I started to walk, without heading for a particular direction. I just let my feet carry me to the place they wanted to be, without having my head or heart knowing where I wanted to be at this point. It was still a warm evening, but a small sea breeze made me shiver just a bit. I rubbed my arms, I was getting some goosebumps. At that point, I realized where I was. I was at the exact spot where I had met Eric earlier that day. I stopped there, leaning against the railing, watching the waves, thinking.

Thinking about all that had happened today. Eric, with his dazzling smile and amazing green eyes, who had said _"Maybe I'll see you around later."_ Well, if that wasn't a hint. Well, Rach had said it was. I thought about Rachel, my new friend. Her spontaneity, how easy it was for her to interact with others, her silly bet. But however, she did have the experience, so she would know what to do and say if I asked her for help about guy things. James and Sirius, and about how in the world they got here as well. No, I thought to myself. Don't think about them. Don't let them ruin your entire holiday. Just think other things. Just think about… Eric again. Yes, that sounded like a good plan.

Just then, I heard soft footsteps behind me, and my heart stopped for one second. What if… What if it was Eric? What if he had been thinking about me as well? What if he had come looking for me? Maybe I'll see you around later… Did he mean now? It was later of course. I took one deep breath, turned around and… Instantly fell off my cloud. How stupid to think it could be Eric. I narrowed my eyes and couldn't help but snap. "What are you following me or something?"

James raised his hands, almost in a surrendering way. "Last time I checked, this was still a public area." He said, flashing me a grin. I rolled my eyes because of the obviousness. "And it still is." I said. "But was there anything special you wanted? You see, I was just enjoying this wonderful view here, on my own, and I'd like to continue with that, _on my own._"

James pretended he didn't hear that last part. "Yes, the view is great isn't it?" He said, walking over to me. "It's so bright out tonight; look at the number of stars! They're so many!" He stood beside me and leaned against the railing, and I quickly took one step away from him. His shoulder was almost touching mine. He turned his face away from the sky to watch me. "You know, it's so funny that we're on the same cruise. I thought I had seen you earlier this day, just for a second, I though I saw a flash of your red hair. Sirius thought I was going insane. 'You're obsessed, you know that?' he had said. And here you are now! It's unbelievable. It's almost like it is… Meant to be." He smiled. I didn't return it.

I turned my whole body towards him and folded my arms in front of my chest. "Meant to be?" I asked with a sarcastic undertone in my voice. "What's meant to be? You annoying the cr*p out of me as you always do at school? Was one week of peace to much to ask for? You know, the itching powder is getting kind of old now, so what's going to be the next prank you're going to pull on me? I'd like to be prepared, you know. Especially if it's going to involve something nasty you can see from the outside. I won't like it if I have to spend the rest of my holiday in my cabin. So, better thought, leave me alone altogether!"

James looked at me, blinking his eyes, to stunned to say a word. And then all I could see was hurt, and I instantly regretted my words, something that had never happened before. But then again, I had never seen James in such a state. I let my arms drop, and took one step closer to him, and I opened my mouth to apologize, but he raised one hand to shut me. "Don't say anything." He said in a tone in which he had never spoken to me, cold. "I get the point, don't worry, you made it all to clear. You know, I didn't make fun of you to have a good laugh. I did it because I wanted to impress you, to make you laugh, because I thought you were nice. But now I can see Lily, that you are not so nice at all."

Now it was my turn to be stunned. He had actually called me by my first name, something I had never heard him do, and I instantly regretted what I had said even more. Not just what I had just said, but all the mean things I had said to him. I opened my mouth again, but he wouldn't listen. "Again, don't say anything." He said, still sounding hurt. "I got the point, I won't be a burden to you anymore. From now on, I'll leave you alone. You won't see me again on this cruise I'll make sure of that. Except, of course at dinner. I can't help it that we're forced to share a table. You think you'll live through that?" He smirked at me once, but it wasn't the usual smirk he gave me.

Then he walked away from me, his shoulders hanging. "James, wait!" I called after him, but he didn't come back. He didn't even turn his head to look at me. He was giving me what I wanted. My space, my rest. He promised he would leave me alone from now on. He was giving me what I wanted. But then, why did I feel so bad?


	8. Chapter Five: Barcelona

[b][u]Chapter five: Barcelona[/b][/u]

I didn't open my eyes when I awoke the next day. I desperately wanted to think this was all a dream, and possibly a nightmare. I had met an amazing guy and he possibly liked me back, sure just a dream. I had made a wonderful new friend who seemed to understand me completely, helped me when I was in need, and wanted me to be the witness in one of her silly bets. Sure, a dream as well. And then I saw James' hurting face behind my eyelids, while his words still rang in my ear "_I thought you were nice, but now I can see, you're not so nice at all... I won't be a burden to you anymore…"_ I saw him walk away, his shoulders hanging. Somehow, I wanted to place this under the category nightmares. Just a few days ago, I would do anything for Potter to leave me alone forever. Now, I felt bad for hurting him. I couldn't stand all these images, so I opened my eyes, blinking them a few times because of the bright sunbeams shining through the cabin window.

Although it had been quite a restless night, I did not feel tired at all. Just miserable. Although I knew it was all my fault, and that it was exactly what I deserved. I tried to think happy things, like Eric, but even thinking of him didn't cheer me up. It was so strange. I felt bad about hurting James, but it was doing so much to me. Did I really cared about him that much? So much that I felt like my entire holiday, and my last year at school, would be ruined? Because that's what I felt like.

I was too restless to stay in bed for much longer. I pulled my blankets aside and stepped out of bed. The hard wooden floor didn't feel as cold as I expected it to be. The sun had warmed it up for me, a kindness I didn't deserve, but then again, the sun couldn't think, and didn't know who deserved it's warmth or not. Gah, what am I thinking? This doesn't make any sense! Cursing slightly under my breath for my stupid thoughts, I made my way over to the shower, glancing once out of the window. I was surprised when I saw it. We were docked. We had reached the first docking point. Barcelona, Spain.

I showered slowly, trying to delay the moment I would have to sit at the breakfast table near to James for as long as possible. I wasn't ready to face him yet, but I had to. I couldn't ask my parents to switch tables with another family, they were having such a good time with the Potter's, they would say no for sure. I had to face the consequences of my actions at some time. Sighing slightly, I turned off the shower. Time was up.

I pulled on some white shorts, a green tank top and a pair of tennis shoes. Again, very slowly. I tied up my damp hair into a messy bun. I didn't care much about my make-up today, so I walked out of my cabin with none on my face.

Looking at my watch, I saw I didn't have that much time left to get to breakfast. I quickened up my pace just a bit, not running, but just fast enough so I would get there in time. Again, delaying. Something very unlike me, but we all would like to delay unpleasant things, right? So why would I be a difference? Exactly my point.

I peeked through the glass door first before I walked in, secretly hoping some people would skip breakfast this morning, but my hope was in vain. The entire table was occupied, except for one chair. Mine, obviously. I took one deep breath, and pushed open the door and made my way over to the table. I muttered a soft "Good morning" as I took my place, desperately trying not to look into the accusing and hurting glance I felt, at least, that was what I thought it was. I couldn't be sure, but I didn't look up to check. When I had sat down, my mother had laid her hand on my arm. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She asked, concerned. "Did you sleep well? You still look tired." I shrugged. "Maybe some seasickness." I lied.

"Well, maybe it's a good thing we're going ashore today, if it's seasickness." My mother said to me. She patted me on the head once, and then turned her head to Mrs. Potter again, to whom she had been talking to before I had sat down. "So what are your plans for today?" My mother asked Mrs. Potter.

"Well, me and my husband were planning on going to see the sights a bit, going to museums, and all that sort of things." Mrs. Potter said. "Obviously, the boys wanted a party holiday, and we'll let them, but me and my husband wanted our holiday to be cultural, so that's what we'll do. The boys will probably hang out on the beach I think." She shrugged, smiling. "So what are you going to do today?"

My mother shrugged. "Well, me and my husband basically had the same plan." She said. "I think Petunia planned a shopping trip, and using Vernon as her personal bag carrier." My mother laughed. "I'm not sure what Lily will do though…?" It sounded like a question towards me, so I looked up to meet my mother's eyes and I shrugged. "I guess I'll just follow along with you and dad." I muttered.

"Oh don't be silly, dear." Mrs. Potter said, laughing. "You're young, you're supposed to find museums and other cultural stuff boring! Now, I have a plan. Your parents and me and my husband will do all the cultural things, and you should go to the beach with the boys and have fun."

I looked up, alarmed. Spending the entire morning with James? Now, _that_ wasn't a good idea. I was sure he didn't want me near him at this time, and honestly, I didn't feel like I was ready for that yet. "Oh don't worry." I said. "I'm sure I'll entertain myself at the museums." But no one would hear of it.

"Don't worry, you'll have lots of fun with them." Mrs. Potter said, feeling quite content with her plan. If only she knew… "Now James, you wouldn't mind hanging out with Lily for the morning, now would you?" She turned to her son, and I was I thought I was starting to understand where this was heading. Mrs. Potter tried to be the match maker. She thought we'd be great together! If only she knew… I looked down at my plate again and took a sip of my coffee. Ugh, I forgot to add the sugar. I waited for James' response, but it wasn't him who answered Mrs. Potter. It was Sirius.

"Awh c'mon Evan- Lily." He said, smirking. "One morning, what could it hurt?" Ah, so James probably hadn't told him about last night, or else Sirius would've known how much this would hurt, for the both of us. But I felt like I was driven into a corner, with no chance of escape. I sighed softly, but it was to soft for anyone to hear. "Okay, I'll come with you two." I muttered. I peeked from under my long eyelashes to see the faces of the people at my table. My mother looked... Well, normal. Just like she always looked. Sirius and Mrs. Potter were exchanging a glance of satisfaction and victory. And James looked like he disliked the plan with a passion.


	9. Chapter Five: Continued

[i]Note: Yay, first author's note is up! Haha. I meant to say this sooner, but I forgot, buuuuttt.... What I wanted to say is, we all know that James, in the books, does not have a little sister. But for this story, she's kind of crucial, so let's just all pretend he has one, mmkay? And thanks for the wonderful reviews eveyone! =D xx Linda[/i]

[b][u]Chapter five: Continued.[/b][/u]

So here I was, sitting on a beach in sunny Barcelona, together with a man who certainly didn't wanted my company at all, with good reason. But what could I do? Head off to downtown Barcelona on my own, and get lost for sure? Yeah, my sense of direction wasn't that great. Sirius was sitting a few yards away from James and me, with a group of giggly Spanish girls, entertaining and charming then, just like when he was at Hogwarts. He was the same as ever, while James seemed to be a completely different person, who seemed… More like himself then ever. He was sitting crossed-legged, drawing circles in the sand with his fingers. I was noticing I was copying him, to nervous to say something. What if I hurt him again?

He sighed and laid down on the sand on his back, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me all day." He said. "I bet it wasn't how you imagined your day." He didn't look at me as he spoke, he kept his eyes fixed at the sky above, watching the small white fluffy clouds float by.

I shrugged, not looking at him. "I'm fine really." I muttered, which wasn't entirely true. Guilt was still eating at me. I wanted to apologize, but I wasn't sure where to start. I looked across the water, watching the small waves, thinking of a way to start. "I'm just worried if you're fine as well." I started.

He snorted and looked at me, one eyebrow raised, a smirk on his face. But still not his usual smirk, there was still a lot of pain in it. "You, are worried about me?" He asked in disbelief. "Now that's something I never heard you say. Why would _you_ be worried about me? If I listened to the bigger meaning behind the words you said to me last night, well, I guess you thought I don't have any emotion and/or feelings, and that it wouldn't bother me."

I cringed at his words, but I had expected them. And it was exactly what I deserved. "I never thought that." I muttered. I pulled my legs up so that my knees were on the same level with my chin, and stared at my feet. "I'm sorry I said those things. I'll understand if you can't forgive me. But I did want to apologize for what I have said." I peeked into his direction from under my eyelashes, waiting for him to say he would never forgive me for this, which he had every reason to.

To my surprise, he just shrugged. "Can't do much about it anymore, Lily." He said. "What's been said has been said, and no one can change that. And I'm glad you found the courage to apologize, although I'm not sure if you mean it."

I looked down again, my shoulders hanging. "Of course I mean it." I muttered. "Or else I wouldn't have apologized."

James shrugged again. "Well, that still doesn't mean I am ruining your entire holiday just by being there." He said, and I cringed again. I wanted to say it was not true, but he continued talking. "But it's to late to go back now, even if my granddad could get a refund for this, if he was able to."

That last sentence confused me. "What do you mean?" I asked him, peeking at him from under my eyelashes again, still to embarrassed to look at him straight.

He sighed. "I'm saying to much." He muttered first before he spoke more clearly then. "Meaning that this cruise was a present for the entire family. A goodbye present to be exact. Didn't you wonder where I was for a week last April?" But he answered that question for himself." No of course not, like you would ever wonder about my whereabouts. But anyways, I was at home with the family, to wish him a last goodbye, and to help arrange the funeral. He had secretly booked a cruise for us all, a final present before he would… Go."

He looked down at his hands, and for a fraction of a second I thought I saw a tear glister on his cheek. I blinked once, and then it was gone. I didn't realize I was doing it, but before I knew it I had stretched out my hand and slipped it into his. "I'm so sorry, James." I whispered. To my surprise, he didn't pull himself free from my gesture. Instead of that, he squeezed my hand gently. "Not your fault." He muttered. "Ha, guess I do have some feelings and emotion after all." He smiled weakly. I smiled back. "Of course you do." I said, meaning every word of it. He looked up at me and gave me a small smile. "I'm actually glad we had this talk." He said, honestly. I nodded and returned his smile. "Me to, actually." I said. He laughed, but it still sounded a bit weak. "So, friends?" He asked. "Friends." I said smiling, squeezing his hand once more.


	10. Chapter Six: My new little sister

[b][u]Chapter Six: My new little sister.[/b][/u]

It was already late afternoon when I arrived back on the cruise ship. This day hadn't been quite as horrible as I expected it to be in the morning. I knew I had it coming for James having a go at me, but instead of that, he had treated me nicer then I deserved. And on top of that, he asked me to be his friend. Now who would have seen that one coming? Certainly not me, but I was happy about it. At least this didn't stood in our way anymore.

When I got back to my room, a plan started to form in my head. I had Eric's schedule. I could go try to find him, but acting like I was just walking by by accident of course, I thought grinning to myself. I rummaged through one of the drawers of my bedside cabinet until I found Eric's schedule. Hmm... Seemed like today he was up on the third deck, teaching the little ones how to play table tennis. I nodded slightly to myself and then refolded the sheet of paper, and put it back into my drawer. I checked my reflection in the mirror once, combing my hair with my fingers a few times, and then walked out of my room.

I could already hear the kid's excitement from a distance. They were all squealing and laughing with joy, and there appeared a small smile on my face. I wanted to have a small peek just before I would casually step around the corner, and I saw a large plant that would be a perfect hiding spot. I stood behind it and peeked through the leaves, and my heart skipped a beat. There he was, in all his glory. He was smiling as he showed a little girl how to throw up the ball and whack it with the little paddle. "You see now?" he asked her, smiling. "It's really not that hard, now you try it." He stood up straight again and smiled at someone who had just come into my view, and I felt sad and small at once. It was a girl, wearing the same working shirt Eric wore, only female size, and there was only one word good enough to describe her. She was stunning. The longest, tan legs in the world. She had jet black, thick wavy hair that she wore down on her back, and she had a dazzling smile which showed all of her perfect white and straight teeth. Why in the world would Eric pay any attention to me, when she was around him all day?

Feeling slightly sad, I turned my attention to the little girl he just helped, and suddenly realized that it was James' little sister Kaylee. Giggling slightly, she threw up the ball, and hit it with her paddle. She squealed with joy when she hit it, but the smile quickly vanished when the ball went under the railing and dissapeared into the waves. Her lower lip started trembling and her eyes started to fill with tears. "My ball." she said, her voice thick with tears.

Eric turned his attention back to her again, wrapping his arm around her little shoulders. "Don't worry sweetie." he said, smiling at her. "That happens all the time. Luckily for you, I have dozens of balls like that." And with that, he reached down into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a new ball. Kaylee looked up to him in awe, and so did I. Good looking, good with kids, and probably smart to. Where would you ever find a guy like that? But pain struck my heart at the very same time. I hadn't forgotten about the Greek goddess floating around him, babbling and giggling and smiling.

Just then, Kaylee threw up her ball again, and hit it with her paddle. The ball bounced off the table again, but this time it didn't went under the railing. It bounced straight towards my hiding spot. I didn't hesitate. I got out of my hiding place and catched the little ball. "Lily!" Kaylee squealed excitedly. She dropped her paddle and ran up to me and jumped into my arms, snuggling me. "Where have you been all day?" She asked me, slightly pouting. "I missed you terribly!"

"Awh, I'm sorry Kaylee." I said, patting her on the head. "Tomorrow we're going to do something fun, okay? Just the two of us." She thought of that for a moment, and then nodded and smiled, but I didn't see it. Just then, Eric was walking up to me with a grin on his face. The girl was standing a few feet away, watching him, her eyes slightly narrowed, her arms folded in front of her chest. She didn't look to pleased, but that just made me happier. He preferred to talk to me, over her, and that had to say something, right?

I smiled as he walked up to me, shifting Kaylee's weight in my arms. I felt flutters in my stomach as Eric spoke to me. "Sweet little sister you have there." he said. "With a talent for table tennis. She could enter the Olympics in a few years time if she keeps up with this learning progress."

I just wanted to say that she wasn't my little sister, when a plan started to unfold itself in my head. If he thought I was her sister... She's had to be brought to and picked up from the children's activities, yes? And maybe they needed some help keeping them entertained and such... "She's not to much of a troublemaker around here is she?" I replied quickly. "Because back home she can be."

Kaylee looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face. "But I'm not your little sister!" she whispered in my ear.

"Shh, I'll give you two Galleons if you pretend to be." I muttered back. I looked at Eric from the corner of my eye, but he didn't seem to be aware of the little chat I had with Kaylee.

"Gimme five and I'm in." Kaylee muttered back. She looked at me, mischievousness in her eyes and a grin spread across her little face. She knew how to play! I bet anything she didn't got this from a stranger. I rolled my eyes. "Alright, have it your way." I said, smirking. And with that, I reached down into my pocket and, making sure Eric couldn't see it, pulled out five thick golden coins and slid them into Kaylee's pocket. After that Kaylee wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. "Oh Lily, you are the best sister in the entire world!" she squealed, and then looked at me daringly. All I could do was laugh and mutter "don't overdo it to much."

I turned my head, just in time to see James walking up to us. I put Kaylee back onto her feet again and waved at James. James waved back and then turned towards Eric. "Hey, I'm here to pick up my little sister." he said with a smile. "It's almost dinnertime and we'd like to be in time for the welcoming feast tonight."

Eric just nodded. "And which of the two sisters would you like to take with you?" he asked, nodding in mine and Kaylee's direction. James looked at him strangely, and started to open his mouth, but I cut him off shortly. "I'd better get back to my cabin." I said. "I'll see you all tonight!" And with that I turned around and walked off, but I could swear I could hear James ask Kaylee "What the heck was that all about?" I smiled to myself and ran off as soon as I was around the corner. I wasn't worried James would find out about our little agreement. I was sure my secret was safe with my new little sister.


	11. Chapter Six: Continued

[b][u]Chapter Six: Continued.[/u][/b]

I had just taken a shower when the phone by my bed started ringing. Still wrapped in a towel I launched myself onto my bed and picked it up "Hello?" I said. I had no idea who would call me here, only my parents and my sister had my number, right? What could be so important?

"HELLO?" I heard someone yell, and I jumped. "HELLO? AM I TALKING TO LILY EVANS? THIS IS MOLLY PREWITT, I'D LIKE TO TALK TO LILY EVANS! HEL-" That was when I cut off my best friend.

"Molly, honestly, do you ever pay attention in Muggle studies?" I said, rolling my eyes and laughing. "You don't have to shout through the telephone, just talk like you normally would if I were sitting next to you."

"Oh, uhhh, yeah, sorry 'bout that, Lils" I heard my best friend say and relieved I held the phone to my ear again. "Guess I forgot about it. Hey, it's vacation after all! I don't have to think about school for to months, gimme a break!"

I laughed again. "But still, I'll sue you if I'm going to suffer from hearing damage from now on. But tell me, how did you get the phone number of the phone in my cabin?"

"I ummm called the reception." Molly said, and I laughed.

"Bet the receptionist was so scared she connected you instantly with my cabin." I said and Molly let out a nervous laugh in agreement. I was sure her face was flushed by now.

I could tell this telephone thing was still a bit weird to her. She was from a pureblood family after all. Come to think of it, I think she once mentioned to me that she was to scared to call me during the holidays because she was sure she'd do something wrong, and therefore preferred the owls, although this could be a lot quicker.

"So tell me." Molly said. "How's your cruise been so far? James and Sirius are giving you a hard time I assume?"

"Nah they're alright reall-" That's when I cut myself off. Now this was confusing. "How do you know they're here? I don't think I've told you yet."

"Didn't you remember that Remus said he was moving to another town with his dad?" Molly said. "Well, the Lupins live right across the road here now. He told me." Ah yes of course, I thought to myself. He did say something about it, but because of exam stress and all that, it had completely slipped from my mind. "So are they giving you a hard time, pulling pranks on you and all that?" Molly asked me. "Because if they do, I'll make sure I'll have something in store for them on the first day of the new term." I could almost hear the radars in Molly's head crack while she was cooking up some plan.

"Don't worry about it Molly." I said. "They're actually being... Nice. Well, James is. Sirius is just Sirius, right? He's nothing unusual, although he hasn't pulled a single prank since he got here. But James is an entirely different story. He seems to be a completely different person! He's like... A friend."

I heard Molly gasp. "Now [i]that[/i] is a completely different thing." She said. "I'd never thought you'd ever fall in love with James."

I laughed. "I said he was nice, and that I like him as a friend of some sort, but I never said I was in love with him!" I heard Molly laugh now as well she mumbled an apology. "Besides, you can't fall in love with two guys at the same time, right?"

Molly gasped again. "Who is he, what's his name, what does he look like, how old is he?"

I laughed again. "Calm down Molly, you're rambling." I said, and then I got into a deep description of Eric. How we met, what he was like, how I liked him and how I thought he liked me. We talked for such a long time that at the time I looked at the clock, I noticed I had an half an hour left to get ready and get down to the large ballroom like place for the feast. I quickly told Molly to take care of herself, to tell her family and Remus hi from me, and then I hung up the phone.

I rummaged through my clothes until I had found the perfect dress to wear to the feast. It was a dress with a halter neck, it came down to my knees and it had a beautiful emerald green color. I loved this dress so much because it always made my eyes look bigger and greener, and made the auburn shade of my hair look deeper and richer. I chose a pair of black high heeled shoes, and after I had put everything on, I made my way over to the bath room to do my hair and make up. After I brushed my hair I didn't do anything else with it. For once, my hair actually cooperated. I didn't have to style it into the right direction. It fell into the right direction straight away, so I kept it like this, flowing down slightly wavy. Make up wasn't a big issue either, I wasn't one for lots of make up, and Hestia said that my skin was already beautiful as it was. Nonetheless I did chose to wear some black mascara and a bit of transparent lip gloss. Yes, this would definitely do.

Just when I had put my make up back into my make up bag, I heard a tap on the door. Hm, I hadn't told anyone to come pick me up, I think. When I opened the door I saw that is was James. I had to say he did look handsome in his dark blue jeans and ice blue blouse. "Heya James." I said smiling. I was just about to come, did my mom sent you? I'm not that late am I?"

James just shook his head. "Nah, I'm here on my own accord Lils." He said with a smile. "I guess it is my privilege to escort my sister to parties, right?" He cocked one eyebrow and then burst out laughing.


	12. Chapter Six: Still Continued

[u][b]Chapter Six: Continued.[/u][/b]

For a moment I was to stunned to say anything. How did he find out!? I couldn't say anything, I just stood there, wide-eyed, and felt how my cheeks flushed. Somehow, that made James laugh even harder. "Seriously Lils, I'd never thought you'd do such a thing." He said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. "It's a good plan though, if it works, but it just didn't seem like your style. And I don't understand Kaylee either."

At this point, I had finally found my voice back. "Kaylee told you? I thought she was going to keep her mouth shut about this."

James nodded. "Yeah she did tell me, but what does it matter?" He shrugged. "Just make sure my parents don't find out, they'd think this would be a typical 'marauders' joke, and they won't like it." He put up his hand as my eyes widened and my mouth opened to answer. "Don't worry. I won't tell them, and Kaylee won't either. She doesn't want to get in trouble. Come to think of it, I'm surprised she didn't ask for more! I would've." He started laughing again. I just shook my head, slightly embarrassed, and closed the door behind me.

"So shall we get going then?" I quickly said, trying to change the subject. But of course, that didn't work, James wasn't easily sidetracked. "So you're bribing my little sister into pretending she's your little sister, only so you can get near that guy who works here?" He asked me, cocking one eyebrow. "He's really worth that effort and money? What so special about him?"

I just shook my head. "Are you actually asking me those questions my girl friends usually would ask me?" I said, slightly sarcastic.

James just shrugged. "They're not around right now to ask you, so someone has to, right?" He asked me, nudging my arm slightly.

I sighed slightly. "Don't get instantly offended here, okay?" I said. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather not discuss my preferences about guys with you. I know we're friends and all that, but trust me, it's better for the both of us if I just discuss this with a girl friend." I watched him from the corner of my eye, looking for any signs in his face or posture that might show he felt offended. But he just shrugged.

"Fair enough." He said. "Maybe indeed it is better if you discuss those things with a girl. If you didn't, next thing you know you would start discussing things like mascara and shoes with me." He laughed, and so did I, relieved.

"Alright, I'll spare you then." I said, nudging him in the shoulder. We had now arrived at the restaurant where we had dinner each night. I peeked through the window and was astounded. In the two hours between dinner time and now, the room had undertaken an entire transformation. All the big tables and matching chairs were now gone, and had been replaced with small high round tables and high barstools around each one lined up in half a circle near the walls. At the opening of the circle there was a stage where a band was playing. The room was already quite filled up with people who were having a drink and having a laugh.

When we reached the double glass doors, James held one open and let me go first, bowing slightly, which made me laugh. Once we were inside I started looking around for mine and James' family, but I almost started screaming when I was nearly attacked by Rach. "Lily!" she called out, hugging me. "Where have you been all day? There's sooo much I need to tell you!"

I laughed and put up my arms as if to surrender. "Calm down Rach!" I said, laughing. "You almost gave me a heart attack there. Nice dress by the way."

"Thanks, and you to Lils." she said. "That color really brings out your eyes." she smiled at me.

I was just about to reply to her, when James pulled my arm slightly. "Everyone's waiting for us you know, maybe it's better to get moving, and you two can continue your chat at one of the tables." I looked and Rach, and she just simply shrugged, and then we started to make our way through the crowd. I was following James, because he seemed to know where to go, he had probably already spotted everyone, and Rach was right behind me.

"Is that that James guy you told me about?" she whispered in my ear so he couldn't hear, and I nodded slightly. "I thought you didn't like him?" I shrugged as if to say we're kind of alright now. "Well, if you don't want him, maybe I'll take a shot at him." I tried to suppress a grin as I thought of Rach trying to flirt with him, only for one kiss for her bet. I'd wonder if he'd fall for it, but then again, Rach was very a very attractive girl.

When we were in sight of 'our' table, Kaylee immediately started waving frantically at me. She looked really sweet in her pink dress with a pink ribbon around her pony tail. "Lily!!!" She called out, a grin spread across her face. "You have to sit next to me, you know! Come here."

I laughed. "But only if you move over a little." I said, pulling softly on her pony tail. "So my friend can sit next to me as well." Kaylee nodded once and then made room for all three of us to sit down. I sat down next to Kaylee, Rach sat down next to me, and James sat down next to Rach. The moment he had sat down, Rach turned towards him and started a conversation. I just slightly shook my head and smiled to myself.

Just then the band had stopped playing, and the captain of the ship climbed onto the stage together with the crew. I looked around until I spotted Eric. He looked heartbreaking handsome, all dressed in black, and my heart skipped one beat. The captain started talking about the cruise, when it was built, where it had been and all things like that, and at first it was kind of interesting, but after some time it became a drag, and I looked at Eric again, wondering if he had spotted me and tried to make eye contact. I only looked away when Rach whispered a goodbye to me and said she was going to look for her uncle and aunt. I nodded and then looked back into the direction of the captain again, who had started to introduce the employees of the ship. My stomach seemed to make a somersault when he introduced Eric, but my mood dropped when I saw he had one arm draped around the shoulder of that girl I had seen earlier on the kid's games deck. My eyes moved away from the stage and I just gazed absentminded at my half empty glass. I didn't even notice that the band had started playing again.

Then I felt someone shaking my arm, and I looked up, and noticed that all eyes were on me. "Lily," my dad said. "James just asked you something, so could you please answer him?"

My cheeks slightly flushed and I looked at James, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, what was it you asked me?" I said.

James smiled and leaned over to me. "I was just wondering." He asked. "If maybe you'd like to dance with me?"


	13. Chapter Seven: Dance to the music

[u][b]Chapter Seven: Dance to the music.[/u][/b]

I thought about it for like one or two seconds, and then I shrugged and nodded. "Sure, why not?" I said as I stood up. It couldn't hurt, right? What was this then just a dance between two friends, or just brother and sister if Eric would see me, but I didn't count on it. He was nowhere in my sight, so therefore I probably wasn't in his. I gave James a small smile as he took my hand and led me towards the dance floor. He held my hand for a little while during dancing to, but as this was a rather up-tempo song, he had to let go of it eventually. For a while, we danced in silence.

"By the way," James said after a few minutes. "Did you know you're actually quite a good dancer?" I could tell he just wanted to start a subject, any subject, because the silence did started to get kind of awkward. I mean in the name of Merlin, we've gone to school together for like, six years, and we didn't have anything to talk about?

But nonetheless I still smiled at his compliment. "Thanks." I said "Guess I just had some practice that's all. I used to take ballet classes before I found out I was... You know what. By the way, you're not to bad either."

James just laughed at my comment about his dancing. "Are you kidding?" He said. "I'm horrible!" At this point, the band had starting to play a new, slow song. Carefully, James wrapped one arm around my waist, his hand resting on my mid back, and took my hand in his other. I blushed slightly and then laid my other hand on his shoulder. "Not to sure I'm better at ballroom dancing though." James said with a grin. "You can kick me if I stand on your toes."

I giggled slightly. "It's actually not that hard." I said. I squeezed his hand slightly. "Keep your fingers closed. Don't take to large steps. Keep your back straight and your head held high." James followed my directions carefully, but when he came to the 'head held high' bit, he pulled such an arrogant face I just had to laugh. "This is a dance, not war, and not Quidditch." I said laughing. "Keep your facial expression relaxed, and just... Dance. My dance teacher taught me that's rather easier if you don't count in seconds during dancing, but just dance to the rhythm of your heart beat. Makes it feel more natural you know."

James nodded and he muttered something under his breath. I couldn't quite make out what he said, but it sounded like "then this would be a very fast dance", but as it was so soft, I couldn't tell. Then we danced in silence again. And I had to say, once he got more into it, his dancing improved a lot. I had meant it when I told him he wasn't to bad at it, but he seemed to get better and better by the minute.

I hadn't noticed someone was approaching us, until I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. I turned my head, and would've tripped and fell over my own feet if James hadn't been holding onto me. I was looking straight into the perfect green eyes of Eric. But he was not looking at me, he was looking at James. "Do you mind if I dance with your sister now?" He asked, gesturing towards me.

James let go of me in an instant and shrugged slightly. "That's not really up to me now is it?" He said, cocking one eyebrow. "She has her own free will, you should ask her instead of me."

Eric turned to me now instead. "Would the prettiest girl in this room care for a dance with me?" He asked me softly, putting a hand on my shoulder. From the corner of my eyes I could see James pretending to gag, and I sighed. He still had some of his weird annoying traits, but oh well, James was James. I smiled at Eric. "Sure, why not?" I said. Then I turned to James again and gave him an apologetic smile. "You don't mind, do you?" I asked him.

I couldn't tell whether his reply to my question was a lie or not. If he hid his true feelings about Eric, he hid them well. He just shrugged. "Go ahead." He said. "I promised I'd save a dance for Kaylee anyways, so I'd better go to her before she throws a tantrum." He smiled, and I smiled back at him. Me and him had a nice evening, and I had intended to keep it that way, but at the moment I turned around, James' cockiness creped up again. "And just in case, Lily. If you feel any of those seizures coming up, remember I have your medication in my pocket."

I turned to him, my eyes wide with shock. "What the heck are you talking about?" I asked him. Eric had the strangest look on his face. "Seizures, medication?" He asked, confused.

I gave James an angry glance before I turned to Eric again. I pulled his arm and lead him to the other side of the dance floor. "Just ignore him, nothing of it is true." I said. "Big brothers you know, love to make a fool out of you."

Eric nodded understanding. "Trust me, I know all about it." He said. "I have three of those back home, and they would love little jokes like that."

I grinned. The band started to play a new song, and I blushed when Eric wrapped his arms around me. This was definitely my evening. The band was already playing a slow song, and I felt like I was on cloud nine. But when Eric spoke again I immediately fell off of it. "You know, you and your brother and little sister don't look a thing alike." He said.

I shrugged. "They're my step brother and sister in fact." I quickly said. "My father re-married after he and my mom divorced, and his new wife had two kids. But we're so close I consider them my own flesh and blood." I thought that sounded alright, but I hoped I wouldn't choke on what felt like the thousandth lie. I wasn't one for lying, preferred to speak the truth at all times, but this was kind of necessary I kept telling to myself. I peeked at Eric's face from under my eyelashes, looking for any signs that he didn't believe me, but he seemed to trust me.

We danced in silence again for a while, and I felt I was floating again. The song was finished by now, and we applauded for the band. When they started a new song Eric suggested we'd go get some drinks, and I nodded and followed. I just ordered a coke. It was to bad that the muggle world didn't know what butterbeer was. They would've loved it. But this was fine to.

There was something that bothered me a lot, but I was to afraid to ask Eric about it. But I knew, for my own sake, that I had to ask him. I took a deep breath. "Are you sure your girlfriend doesn't mind that you are hanging around with me for most of the evening?" I asked. There, I said it, although I was terrified for what the answer might be.

But Eric just looked at me, a puzzled expression on his face. "What girlfriend?" He asked me. "I have no girlfriend."

I smiled slightly, relieved. "I just assumed that the girl that you had your arm around earlier was your girlfriend." I explained. "You two just looked pretty close to me."

Eric shrugged. "Who, Erica?" He said. "That's just because we are, only not in that way. We've known each other since primary school. We've been best friends ever since."

I nodded. "Sorry." I said. "Just wondering." Eric smiled, and I smiled back.

Eric took one look at his watch, and then sighed. "I'm sorry Lily, but I have to leave." He said, and he really did look sorry. "I still have to make some schedules for tomorrow. I'll see you around, okay?" He stood up, swallowed the last sip of his drink and then turned to me again. "Soon." He said with a smile, and he kissed my cheek.

"Bye." I said, rather breathless, and I watched him walk away. I was a bit sad that he was gone, but overall, this had been an almost perfect evening.

Eric had been gone for just a few minutes, when James walked up to me, and sat down in the chair beside me. "So the slick guy has finally left?" He asked me, one eyebrow cocked. "Off to see his next prey?"

For a moment I was to stunned to say anything. Where did James gain this wisdom? He didn't even knew Eric! "He doesn't have a girlfriend." I said coolly. "What makes you think he's using me as a one-night-stand?"

James just shrugged. "I don't know what it is, but there's something about him that I don't trust." James said. "And usually when I follow my intuition, I'm right."

I sighed slightly. "Then I'm afraid you're wrong this time, James." I said. "Because my intuition is right most of the times as well, and I have a really good feeling about this."

James muttered something that sounded like "That just shows how much you know" before he spoke out loud to me again. "And what when this cruise ends?" He asked me. "You'd think he'd stay in touch? He's always away from home, when would you two see each other?"

For a moment I didn't quite know what to say. Could James be right? "We'd find a way." I said defensively. "And no offense, but didn't we agree that I wouldn't discuss my love life with you?" And with that I stood up and stalked off, making my way back to my cabin.


	14. Chapter Seven: Continued

[i]Author's note: Okay, so I decided to do things a little different this time. This post is written from James' point of view. I felt like I had to, or well mainly, he told me. Yep I know this sounds weird haha. But I had this weird dream, in which he told me I had to write down his thoughts on the whole matter, and express his feelings. If I wouldn't, he would use a tickle curse on me. . So here it is, and I hope you will all enjoy. And thanks for all your great reviews! =D[/i]

[u][b]Chapter Seven: Continued.[/u][/b]

[center]~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ James' P.O.V~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~[/center]

I just sat there silently as I watched Lily walk away from me. I had always thought I'd understood her perfectly, and always thought she was so smart. Back in school, when one of her friends was in love with someone, she could always say whether that person was trustworthy or not, and she was always right. How come she was so blind now!? I'm telling you, that guy means trouble, and I'm a Marauder, I should know.

With a heavy sigh, I stood up. I was thinking about going back to my cabin as well and go to sleep, but I didn't feel tired at all. But after I danced with Kaylee, me and Sirius had a little chat, and before I went back to join Lily again, he had told me he'd go back to our cabin. I really needed an outsider's opinion on this, and Sirius knew all about players, right? Nodding to myself, I started making my way across the room and outside, back to mine and Sirius' cabin.

I was just around the corner of the passageway where my cabin was, when I heard a door open, and heard two voices. One female, and one to familiar male one. I grinned to myself. I heard the girl giggle and say goodbye, and asking my best mate when she would see him again, and then Sirius' standard answer to it. "We'll see." I waited until she had walked away, and then made my way over to the door. Sirius was just about to close it, but I quickly stuck my feet in between the door. "Sirius, you dog." I said snickering, running a hand through my already messy hair.

When I had just stuck my feet in between the door, Sirius looked like he was about to snatch his wand from the bedside table and hex me right there, until he noticed it was me. His facial expression relaxed, and he held the door open for me. "Oh shush, Prongs." He said grinning. "Besides, we didn't do anything you would disapprove of. Or else I would've told you."

I walked into our cabin and raised my hands in defense. "Please, spare me the details, Padfoot." I said laughing. "Whether you did do something I would disapprove of or not." I crossed the room and threw myself onto the bed. I grabbed the remote of the television and started flicking through the channels. It was actually quite funny to see those people moving around in that little box. We didn't have that back at my place. The first time I saw it, I was sure it was dark magic and used a reductor curse on it. I believe I was thirteen.

Sirius sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the remote out of my hand. After making several attempts to find the button to shut off the television, without any satisfying result, he just laid the remote on the bedside cabinet. "So what's wrong, James?" Sirius asked me, one eyebrow raised. "I can see something is bothering you."

I sighed again. I sat up straight again, crossing my legs, and looked down at my hands, thinking of a way to start. "I'm just worried about Lily." I started, but before I could continue, Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Oh James, how many times did we discuss this?" Sirius asked me. "She likes you, or she doesn't. If she doesn't, stop stalking her, girls get annoyed. And certainly, don't try to keep them away from other guys she might like, they could get jealousy issues, and that could get nasty."

"But it's that guy she likes I'm worried about!" I interrupted him. "I really, [i]really[/i] don't trust him. He just seems to perfect, to nice, and to sweet. To him, I think, Lily is just some prize he'd like to add to his trophy case. But she's not, she's so much more. I can't believe she's falling for this!"

Sirius watched me intently as I spoke, nodding once in a while, and stayed silent for about an half a minute after I stopped talking. "Do you mean, I don't believe she's falling for this because it's all a lie?" Sirius asked me. "Or do you mean, I don't believe she's falling for this, I should've tried that approach sooner?"

I just simply stared at my best friend. "What are you implying?" I asked.

Sirius just shrugged. "It just seems to me you're jealous of that guy, because he's getting what you've been after for years."

My hands clenched into fists. "This isn't about me." I said, my voice getting louder now. "I'm just worried about Lily, because I think he'll break her heart, and she deserves better then that."

Sirius leaned back into the pillows, folding his hands behind his head. "Look, I have no clue if that guy can be trusted or not." He said. "But even if he does break Lily's heart and use her, she fell for it, so therefore it will be her own fault. And she told you to stay out of her love life, so there won't be a thing you can do about it."

I just stared at my friend in disbelief. Didn't he at least care about Lily's sanity? And my own for that matter. "Never mind then." I said, standing up. "I'll find my own way to unveil Eric's true self." And with that, I stalked to the door and walked out, slamming it shut behind me.

Once I was around the corner, I broke into a run. I ran all the way up four flights of stairs until I reached the fourth deck. I was panting, my heart was racing, but I just needed to get rid of all this adrenaline I had in me right now. I always played sports when I was mad, or when I needed to think. It made me clear my head from all other thoughts beside the ones I needed to ponder over. Normally, I would've played Quidditch by now, but I was on a muggle vacation, so running had to suffice. Still panting, I sat down in a chair near the deserted pool, staring into nothingness, thinking...

I thought I had been alone, but then I heard footsteps behind me. "Hello there!" A cheery voice greeted me, and a girl came into view. It was Lily's new friend. What was her name again? Oh, yes Rachel, now I remembered. She sat down in a chair opposite of me. "So what are you doing here all by yourself?" She asked me, flipping her hair over her shoulder and crossing her ankles.


	15. Chapter 8: Winning at all stages, almost

[b][u]Chapter Eight: Winning at all stages, well, almost.[/b][/u]

When I woke up the next morning, I didn't instantly open my eyes. A small smile appeared on my face as I felt the sunshine warming my face. I put my hands behind my head and stretched. Thoughts and memories of the previous night filled my head, and I felt content. Last night had been so perfect. Well, almost perfect, I thought as the argument I had with James replayed itself in my head, but I quickly pushed that thought away, as I did with all the thoughts about fights I ever had with James. I was feeling so happy now, why ruin the moment?

Instead of thinking about our argument, I let my mind flood with thoughts of my moments with Eric. Our dance, the way the dance floor seemed to belong to us and us only, never mind the other people around us dancing. Us having a drink, having a laugh, having a good time. Still smiling, I opened my eyes, blinking against the bright sunlight a few times, and then looked at my alarm. It was past eleven am already. I sat up straight with shock. I missed breakfast, and on top of that, I could've been finding out what Eric was up to hours ago!

I threw my covers aside and rushed into the shower. I took the fastest shower of my life, I believe it only lasted for five minutes at the latest. I put on a brown tank top and some dark blue jeans shorts, and then quickly yanked a hairbrush through my damp hair. I didn't bother to put any make up on. Besides, if Eric really liked me, he would still if I didn't wore any make up. When I was done with brushing my hair, I got a hair band and quickly made a braid in my hair. Once I tied it, I put on a pair of black sneaker socks and a white pair of sneakers, and I was off.

On my way to the children's deck, I sneaked passed the lunch buffet which was still closed and grabbed a glass of orange juice and a sandwich. My stomach was rumbling because I didn't have any breakfast. I ate my sandwich while I strolled across the deck, looking around without really seeing anything. There was no point looking for Eric yet, I was sure he wasn't around here, but still, it was always fun to watch other people.

Once I was done with my sandwich and my glass of orange juice, I put down my empty glass on a deserted table, and started to make my way over to the children's deck. I was one deck below the one I was heading, until I spotted Kaylee running towards me, although she looked like she didn't see me. She was holding a small bag in one hand, and a piece of paper in the other. While she was running, she was looking at the piece of paper, frowning. Afraid she might be so preoccupied she wouldn't see me, so I called out "Kay Kay, watch where you're going!", and I was just in time, she skidded to a halt right in front of me. I smiled at her.

She didn't smile back. As a matter of fact, she was kind of pouting. "You weren't there at breakfast this morning." She accused, folding her arms in front of her chest.

I got down to her level and looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Kaylee." I said, and I meant it. Although I didn't know her that well, it hurt me to see her this sad. "I overslept. Could've happen to anyone. But I'll be there in time tomorrow!" Well, I had to, we were leaving for a scuba diving session tomorrow morning, and if I wasn't in time, I would miss the boat that would bring us to shore to the scuba diving school.

Luckily, her eyes started to brighten up as I apologized. "Ah, don't worry." She said, a big grin spreading across her face. "James oversleeps all the time. I don't see him during the winter, if he stays at Hogwarts during the Christmas holidays. Tell me, does he hibernate? I think he would." She giggled, and I laughed, throwing my head back into my neck.

"But hey, I made you a promise last night didn't I?" I said, once I had calmed myself down a bit. "I promised you that today we would do something fun! So what did you want to do?" I titled my head slightly to the side, awaiting her reaction.

She thought it all over for a moment. "Well, Eric has thought of a funny game for all the kids to play." She said, and I stood up straight, taking her hand in mine. "Here I have a list of items." She held up the little piece of paper. "Those items are all hidden on this ship. Whoever finds all items first, wins a prize! You could help me, Lils! It'll be fun! A please?" She gave me a pair of the cutest puppy dog eyes, and I laughed.

"No need to beg me." I said with a smile. "I'll come with you. Can I see the list?" I took the piece of paper from her little hand and read it through. "Hmm... A pencil, a napkin, a feather, a plastic cup, and a towel. That shouldn't be to hard, right? And guess what? I already have the first item!" I opened my bag and rummaged through it, until I found what I was looking for. Item number one, a pencil. Kaylee clapped her hand excitedly. "Yay, I'm going to win, I just know it!" She said grinning.

I grinned back at her and took her hand as we started to walk again. "But it's not all about winning, Kalyee. " I said. "Even if we don't win, we'll sure have a lot of fun, right? Isn't that the most important thing?"

"Yeah yeah." Kaylee said while rolling her eyes. "Whatever you say." I grinned. She was just like her older brother.

About twenty minutes later, we had also found a plastic cup, which we got from a nice lady near the pool, and we got a towel out of my cabin. But the napkin and the feather were somewhat harder to find. I noticed Kaylee had gotten a bit grumpier. She really wanted to try to get in first, and as for me, I couldn't actually wait until I could go back with her either. Right now I was playing a hiding and seeking game, while I could've been with Eric. We turned a corner, and we were near the pool again. And by the pool was a snack stand... "Look there, Kay Kay." I said, pointing at the snack stand. "What's that on the counter?" By the sight of it, her eyes started to brighten up again. She sneaked over to the stand, and without being noticed, she grabbed one of the napkins, and then ran back up to me, looking around like she had just done something bad and was afraid to get caught. I laughed. "You didn't do anything you shouldn't have." I said as she had reached me again. "Those napkins can be used by anyone, no need to be so careful. She just simply stuck out her tongue at me playfully while putting the napkin into the back, and I shook my head, smiling.

But now, where to find that feather... We had searched about three decks already, plus my cabin, but still there was no feather to be seen. Also, no birds who would just drop by on the deck and give us one. I was starting to feel sorry for Kaylee, who had by now almost lost all hope to find our last item. We turned a corner, and game past a large ballroom sized room, where they were currently holding a sand sculpture exposition. I looked inside, without much interest, but to my surprise, I saw Rach standing there, with a tall blond guy next to her. Probably her latest victim, but I wasn't paying much attention to him. I had more interest in her hair, or better said, the hair band that was in her hair. "I'll be right back, Kaylee." I said. "You wait right here, I think I may have found our last item.

I walked inside, trying my make my way through the crowd as quickly as possible, but without getting annoyed glares from other passengers for standing on their toes or pushing them aside. It took some effort, but I reached her at least. I tapped her on the shoulder. "Can I get one of those feathers from your hair band?" I said rushed.

She looked at me strangely. "What do you need it for?" She asked me, puzzled.

"Some game I'm playing together with Kaylee. We need to collect all kinds of items, and the last one she needs is a feather. Awh, c'mon Rach! I really want to get back to Eric, please?" I gave her my best pleading look, and she gave in, laughing softly.

"Alright, here you go." She said as she carefully pulled one of the feathers out of her hair band and gave it to me.

"Thanks a lot." I said, relieved. "I owe you this one." I quickly glanced over to the guy she was with. "Not really your type now, is it?" I whispered so he wouldn't hear.

Rach giggled. "Doesn't matter." She whispered back. "Meet me at the pool after you're done. Now then I will show you something." She gave me a mysterious grin, and I laughed. Oh dear, she never stopped. I agreed on meeting her later, and then quickly made my way outside back to Kaylee again, who seemed overjoyed.

She jumped up and down and clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, I'm so sure we're gonna win!" She said grinning. "I bet no one else found that feather!"

I just smiled. "Well, don't say that to loud." I said, taking her hand again. They might have looked into other places then us. Now c'mon, lets run and find out."

Kaylee grinned. "Last one there is a Flobberworm!" She squealed, and then she run off. I followed suit, laughing.

I made sure I'd let her win, just because. She was so excited. Once we got there, I was kind of disappointed Eric wasn't there. Instead of him, there was that pretty girl again. Pain struck my heart, but then again, Eric had chosen me last night over her, right? I instantly felt better. I strolled casually towards her ask Kaylee showed her our gathered items. "That's so good of you, Kaylee!" She said in a nice, ringing voice. Ugh. "Here's your prize, a nice t-shirt!"

Kaylee took her prize with a proud grin on her face. "I wouldn't have been able to do it if my sister hadn't helped me." She said, turning to me.

For the first time, Erica looked at me. "Ah yes I see." She said, smiling, although her eyes were as cold as ice. "Unfortunately, I only have children's sizes."

"That's alright, I'll survive without one." I said, just as coolly, holing my head straight up. She thought she could get to me, ha!

She looked me over once more, and then turned around, going back to do whatever she had been doing. I turned back to Kaylee again, who was now trying to put on her new t-shirt. "Listen Kaylee, I promised to meet a friend of mine by the pool, you think you can manage from now on?"

Kayle, who had just stuck her head through the head opening, nodded. "Okay, I'll see you at dinner!" She said.

I smiled at her, and waved her a goodbye.

I felt disappointed that I hadn't seen Eric yet, but then again, he was a busy guy, he had tons of other things to do of course. Well, at least I still had Rach. I could already see her from a distance when I neared the pool. She was together with a black haired boy who I didn't recognize from this distance, but I didn't pay much attention to him anyways. "Hey, Rach!" I said smiling, and let myself fall into the chair next to her, kind of tired from running around for half of the afternoon in the hot burning sun.

"Heya, Lils!" She said excitedly. "Guess who's joining us today?" I saw the look in her eyes, and I felt cold instantly. I slowly turned towards the boy next to her, who had just turned towards me as well. "Hey, Lily." James said, the all to familiar mischievous grin spread across his face.


	16. Chapter Eight: Continued

[u][b]Chapter Eight: Continued.[/u][/b]

For a moment I just stared at him blankly. Had he seriously fallen for [i]Rach[/i]!? I mean, his best friend was, just like Rach, one of the biggest flirts and players, and he didn't see it!? I was sure Rach didn't fancy him at all, she just wanted to use him for her bet and then toss him aside like a little child would do with a toy he got bored of. Although I hadn't entirely agreed with her bet in the first place, I still thought it was kind of funny. Now I didn't like this idea at all.

It took me a few seconds to realize that my mouth was slightly open because of the shock. I blinked, and closed it. I gave Rach a questioning look, but she just giggled. "And you know what, Lily?" She said. "If it hadn't been for you, we would never have found each other! I'm so happy you introduced us to each other last night!" She flicked her hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes at James, who grinned back at her and ran a hand through his already messy black hair.

I still didn't get why, out of all the guys that were on this ship, she had to pick [i]him[/i]. I mean, don't get me wrong, he is good-looking, and that tan he had gotten since he got here didn't look bad on him either. Not bad at all in fact... Okay, snap out of it, Lils. I shook my head slightly. What I meant was, he had feelings! He would be so hurt if she dumped him after one kiss. I watched the pair of them get up. "We're going for a swim, Lily." James said, that stupid grin still on his face.

"Yeah you do that." I said, with a slight sneer in my voice. "You sure need to cool down I think."

James didn't notice the sarcasm in my voice I think, but if he did, he hid it very well. "You can join us, you know." He said, cocking one eyebrow.

"I'm not wearing a bathing suit or bikini at the moment." I said, folding my arms in front of my chest.

"Then go get it, we'll wait for you." Rach said, shrugging. And with that, she turned to James again, flashing him another smile. "Last one in is a marshmallow!" And with that, she started taking a sprint towards the pool, James following quickly behind her. I didn't stay to watch who had won. Sighing, I stood up, and made my way up to my cabin.

Once I had shut the door of my cabin behind me, I sat down on my bed sighing. What would I do for the rest of the afternoon? I sure didn't fancy to go back to the pool and watch those two, but what other choice did I have? Sighing again, I stood up again and opened one of the drawers of my wardrobe. I rummaged through it until I had found what I had been looking for: my favorite brown halter top bikini.

I quickly pulled off the clothes that I had been wearing all day and put on the bikini. I closed the drawer and opened one of the doors. I got out a dark blue jeans skirt and pulled it on over my bikini pants. I got one of my books from my bedside cabinet and put it into my bag. I thought it would be a wise idea to take something to read with me, just in case I got really annoyed with Rachel and James. Once I was really into the story, it was hard to pull me back out of it. I picked up my bag from my bed and hung it over my shoulder, and then I headed out the door and made my way back to the pool.

Once I reached the pool again I saw that a man had climbed the little stage at the side of the pool. Lots of people my age were watching him, as he told them the rules of a game they were playing. Behind him, there was some sort of pipe, wrapped up in some soft material. On the floor, there were lots of pillows, apparently to break your fall. In his hands, he held two pillows. "Okay!" He shouted out! "The rules of the game are: Try to knock your opponent off the pipe with the pillow. You're only allowed to use one hand! You will keep the other one behind your back. I need five boys and five girls. You will compete each other in pairs. Last man and last woman standing, wins. So who's volunteering?"

A few people around me raised their hands and they climbed up the stage. I saw that both Rachel and James were going to participate as well. I waved at them, so they would know I was there. I wished I hadn't. "Yes, the last volunteer!" The man shouted! "You there, with the red hair!"

People started to push me forward towards the stage. "Oh no." I muttered to them. "I don't wish to participate!" But it was to late. Before I knew it, I was standing on the stage, next to Rachel. "Okay, now that we have everyone we need, lets get started!" The man shouted. "Males are up first."

Me, Rach, and three other girls lined up at the back of the stage to watch the game. James and a guy with brown curly hair were up first. I watched them intently, and so did Rach, but I didn't quite understood the look on her face. She wasn't watching James, she was watching the other guy. Did she see a suitable 'boyfriend' for one day in him as well? I tried to shrug it off. Well, if she did, James better win. And so he did. One good shot aimed near his elbow, and the brown haired boy fell off, and everyone cheered and applauded for James.

James did surprisingly well. The three matches he participated after the first one he won with quite some ease. I once overheard two of the teachers back in Hogwarts about how he sure also had some of the good qualifications they looked for in a Beater for the House Quidditch Team, but James had always preferred to be a Chaser. Although I knew little about Quidditch, I could see that the teachers had been right. James was a good aimer, and hardly missed.

It wasn't a big surprise to me that James made it to the final round. Although, his opponent would be quite a challenge. The guy was about one head bigger then James, and was quite muscular. And he looked kind of heavy, which would mean he would be harder to knock over. They both sat down, one arm on their back, the pillow in the other hand, waiting for the whistle which would indicate the start of the final round.

I was right, this was quite a challenge for the both of them. This match also seemed to be longer then the previous ones. James got almost knocked down a few times, but every time he seemed to regain his balance just in time. After a while I noticed my hands were clenched in fists, and I was chewing my bottom lip. Believe it or not, but I really wanted James to win. And when he finally did, I wanted to run up to him and throw my arms around him, but Rachel got there first. She hung onto his neck like some lovesick puppy, but I knew better then that, and pain struck my heart. He was my friend after all. But there was not much time to think about it. It was the girls turn now. And, this had to be my lucky day, I was up first.

I walked up to the pipe as if it was like I was walking towards my grave. Why, [i]why[/i] on earth did I try to wave at Rach and James!? Look what mess I was in now. But there was nothing much I could do about it, and sighing, I swung one leg over the pipe and sat down. I swallowed when I saw my opponent. Very tall girl, and muscular. How on earth was I going to do this? I took the pillow the man just reached out to me with my right hand, and put my left arm behind my back. Across from me, I saw the girl doing the same thing. I braced myself as the man blew his whistle to indicate that the match had started.

My opponent started off with much force. She hit me in the shoulder with the pillow hard, which almost made me fall off, but I managed to regain my balance. I was afraid it might hurt when a pillow would hit me, but it didn't. As a matter of fact, it tickled a little. That made me burst out in laughter. My opponent looked at me like I was crazy, but it wasn't before to long she was laughing just as hard as I was. That's when I grabbed my chance. I dug my fingers into the fabric, making sure I had a tight grip, and laughing loudly, I hit her in the arm. She was completely off guard, didn't see this was coming, and therefore, hadn't much time to brace herself, and she fell off. I got up as well and held out my hand to her to help her up, as the crowd and other contestants cheered for my victory.

I was surprised that I had won my first challenge, but even more so when I managed to make it to the finals. My opponent was Rach, and she sure was the biggest challenge I had to face. She had won all of her previous matches without losing her balance for even one nanosecond. Biting my bottom lip, I swung my leg once more over the pipe and sat down, gripping the pillow tightly in my right hand. The man blew on his whistle, and the final match started.

Rach hit me hard on my shoulder, but I was prepared. She might put much force in her hits, she didn't use much tactic, so I was prepared. I didn't even flinch. "You know what." She said. "That James is really a nice guy. It's that I'm not looking for a steady boyfriend, but if I was, I would be sure about what I would do."

I hit her on her left arm. "Well, that's just it." I said. "You're not looking for a boyfriend, yet you use him for you bet."

Rach raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't mind if I kiss other guys and then dump them, but you all of a sudden have a problem if I would use James for it." She tried to aim another shot at me, but I ducked just in time.

"Well, you see.." I said. "James is a friend of mine, and I'm sure he'd be very hurt if you'd use him for something like this." I took a well-aimed shot at her right hip, and the invincible one was suddenly defeated. She lost her balance and fell off. Unfortunately, her fall wasn't flawless. She let out a cry. "Speaking of pain!" She said. I quickly jumped off the pipe to help her get up, but James had beaten me to it. She gave him a wide grin, and I suddenly felt disgruntled. Apparently my talk hadn't helped at all.

James and I stood next to each other in the middle of the stage, waving while every one applauded and cheered for us. Rach had her arms draped around James, looking at him with that lovesick puppy look again. I smiled, although I didn't feel happy at all. But I would take luck into my own hands. I would get out of here as soon as possible and would try to find Eric. Maybe we could do something fun together once his shift was over.


	17. Chapter Eight: Still Continued

[u][b]Chapter Eight: Continued.[/u][/b]

Once we could finally get off that stage (thanks heavens, I hated being the center of attention), I waved a quick good bye to Rach and James. "Awh, come on, Lils!" James said. It's not as much fun without you, please stay?" He gave me a pleading look, pouting lip and all, but I shook my head. I didn't need to see how Rach played her little game with James, and I didn't need to see how James fell for it so easily. I thought he would be smarter then that, but apparently, I had been wrong.

Telling them bye for the last time, I walked off towards the children's deck again, hoping I would be more lucky this time. I already had just missed him once today, and I didn't intend to make that twice.

I felt my mood drop once I was around the corner, and didn't find Eric. I saw that the woman who had given Kaylee her prize earlier today was still there though, cleaning up. My next plan was to make a silent exit and go look for Eric somewhere else, but he had heard my footsteps, and turned around. She looked me over once before smiling at me, although the smile didn't reach her eyes completely, which were as cold as ice. "Can I help you?" She asked me politely.

"I was just looking for Eric." I explained, nodding. "Wanted to show him my prize." I showed her the little trophy I had received, but wished I hadn't. She turned around for a slight second, and I felt my cheeks starting to burn. Was she laughing at me? Gosh, I must look like some little kid right now. I lowered my trophy and straightened my back. She wouldn't get to me. I wouldn't let her.

She turned towards me again. "That's impressive." She said, but with a slight sneer in her voice. "But I'm sure Eric has seen tons of those already. And anyway, he's not here."

I nodded again, but without taking my eyes off her. She wouldn't take me down. "Thanks for telling me." I said coldly. "Then I guess I'll look for him somewhere else." I turned around and started to walk away.

I had just reached the corner when she called after me. "Wait, Lily!" She said. I turned around, and watched her jogging towards me. I couldn't quite understand the expression on her face. She looked a bit nervous. "I want to talk to you." She nodded, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "I know you fancy Eric. So do lots of other girls. And he likes that, all that attention. He won't be faithful to you, Lily. He's not as nice as he looks. He'll break your heart."

I held my breath for a moment, and narrowed my eyes. So that was the game she wanted to play, huh? Trying to get me away from Eric, so she could go after him. What a lousy friend she was to him. I gave her one cold nod. "Like he did to you?" I asked, one eyebrow raised, folding my arms in front of my chest. "Thanks for the advice. But you know what, maybe I'm not as nice as I look either."

She took one step back, away from me, and nodded. "I see." She said. "It's a pity you don't believe me. But anyway, I have to get back to work. And so does Eric, so I don't think he'll have time for you today."

"But when Lily's there, I'll make some time." A voice said from behind me. I turned around and my stomach seemed to make a somersault. Eric was walking up to me, flashing me a grin, and he wrapped one arm around my shoulders. "C'mon, Lils." He said. "Lets take a walk." And without giving Erica even one last glance, we walked off.

"So what's the reason of you coming to find me and make my day better with your presence here?" Eric asked me, squeezing my shoulder, and my cheeks flushed slightly.

"Do I have to have a reason to be around you?" I asked him, smiling, and he smirked. Darn that heart of mine. It was racing like mad, even so loud, I would be surprised if he didn't hear it.

He pointed at the trophy which was still in my right hand. I had almost forgotten about it. "Seems like you always win at all stages." He said with a grin. "Earlier today with your sister, and now all on your own. You're good. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd get anything you want."

I grinned and shrugged. "Who knows?" I said.

I watched Eric from the corner of my eyes, and saw his face filling with pain. I came to a halt immediately. "What's wrong?" I asked him, concerned.

He turned his face towards me. "This is not right, Lily." Was the only think he said.

I was confused. "What's not right, Eric?" I asked.

He sighed slightly and put one hand on my shoulder. "There are rules on this ship, Lily" He said. "You can't be around me. One of those rules is we're not allowed to fall in love with our guests, and here we are now."

My heart skipped one beat. "So what you're saying is, you're in love with me to?" I asked.

"I've never met anyone like you, Lily." He said, boring his eyes into mine, and I felt my cheeks flush. "Even on my darkest days, you seem to brighten up my entire surroundings when you're around."

I nodded, my cheeks flaming. Gosh, one of the problems of having red hair and a pale skin, emotions like shyness always were to obvious. "I feel the same way about you." I muttered. I stared at my shuffling feet. "I wished this holiday would never end."

"Me to Lily, trust me." He said, hugging me with one arm. "But unfortunately, this holiday will end in just four days time."

"We could stay in touch." I said, looking up at his face. "We could write, see each other during holidays."

Eric smiled. "We'll see." Was the only thing he said. "Tomorrow I have a lot to do, but the day after that, we could do something fun. Just you and me. What do you say?"

I shrugged. "That's okay, I'm going scuba diving with my family tomorrow when we dock in Sicily anyway." I said, smiling. "So, it's a date?" I couldn't help but sound hopeful.

Eric grinned. "It's a date." He confirmed, nodding.


	18. Chapter Nine: Scuba diving

[i]A/N: Hm... No one seems to be very fond of Eric, eh? ~Eyes reviews~ ~Giggle~ I have some things in store for him though... AND James. AND Lily. AND Rach. And even for Sirius hehehe. But, you don't want me to spoil the end before I get to the good part, right? Anyways, enjoy the new post, and thanks again for the great reviews everyone! I'm so glad you all like it. I mean seriously, blood sweat and tears are in this story. Oh by the way? Major plot twist coming up soon! So stay tuned. ;)[/i]

[b][u]Chapter Nine: Scuba diving, the weirdest experience of my life.[/b][/u]

I had picked up hints from Eric the entire cruise, and now he had finally said the word! We had a date! It took my a long time to fall asleep that night, I was just to excited. But eventually I did, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up early that next morning, for the first time since I had been on board. I don't know why I woke up so late lately, maybe it was just the sea air that did funny things to me. But I was glad I woke early, it was my routine. I took a shower, but not a very long one. I would see enough water today. I put on an emerald green bikini, jeans shorts and a white t-shirt, nothing to fancy. After I brushed my hair, I made my way to the restaurant.

When I reached our table my mother and my sister were arguing. Thank heavens that the Potters hadn't joined us yet, they wouldn't have liked this conversation. "Why do I [i]have[/i] to come on this scuba diving trip?" Petunia hissed. She had her eyes narrowed, her arms folded in front of her chest, and her face was starting to turn an ugly shade of scarlet. She looked like she was ready to strike at any time. "Those Potter people are freaks, just like her!" She jerked her head into my direction, and my heart stung. I knew she didn't like the fact that I was accepted into Hogwarts and she wasn't, and I was used to her calling me a freak ever since then, but it still hurt. She was and would always remain family.

"Petunia." My mother said in her most sternest voice. She had her eyes narrowed as well, I hadn't seen her this agitated in years. "The Potters are very polite and nice people. That's why I invited them to come with us today. And it doesn't matter whether they're magical or not." She had lowered her voice now. She was well aware of the Statue of Secrecy, and I was happy that she tried to keep it a secret at all costs, something I couldn't say about Petunia. When she was mad, she blurted out everything, loud as well. I knew it was an accident, but I still couldn't forget that one time she had started shrieking in the mall in our own little town. The Ministry of Magic had showed up not long after the incident to modify the memories of all the people who were in there at the time, they had heard to much. I would've thought Petunia would've learned from that mistake, she had been terrified. Seems I was wrong. Luckily, no one had heard us. Yet. Because the Potters and Sirius just entered the restaurant.

My mother lowered the sound of her voice until it was barely a whisper. "You're coming with us, whether you like it or not." She said. "You don't have to like them, but you will treat them as human beings, as they still are." Petunia looked even more sour then she did before, but she lowered her head and looked at the napkin in her lap as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, not looking at the Potters who had just sat down at our table. Luckily, it seemed they weren't aware of the conversation that had just taken place. "Good morning!" My mum greeted them with a cheery voice, and I nodded and smiled politely at them, before I took a sip of my coffee. I grimaced when I tasted the bitter taste of it. I had forgotten to add milk and sugar to it.

"So what are you going to do today, Kaylee?" I asked James' little sister, who had claimed her seat next to me. You know, for someone who wasn't family, it sure seemed she wished I was. Some people would praise the fact that they had a big sister, I sometimes couldn't get rid of her fast enough. We used to be the best of friends, but now... I tried to shake the miserable thoughts from my mind. Today was supposed to be a fun day, I wouldn't let anything ruin it for me. I refocused my eyes and looked at Kaylee again, smiling.

Kayle shrugged at my question. "I don't know yet." She said. "I don't know what Eric and Erica have planned for us today. I wished I could come with you guys though." She turned her attention back to her mother again, who was, strangely, putting bread in her bag. "Mommy, can I come to?" She asked, and she gave her her most pleading look. "Ah please?"

Her mother laughed and shook her head. "Sorry sweetie, but you're a bit to small to go swimming out in the open sea." She said. Kaylee started to open her mouth, but her mom raised one hand. "I know you were top of your swimming class, but it's still to dangerous."

Kaylee closed her mouth and folded her arms in front of her chest, looking grumpy and pouting, and I tried to suppress my laughter. She looked funny when she was mad. I turned my attention back to Mrs. Potter again, and tried to change the subject. "So uuuhm, what's the bread for?" I asked Mrs. Potter.

She smiled at me. "You know, I've once been scuba diving near the Canary Islands when I was there on my honeymoon." She said. She gave her husband one loving look, which he returned with a smile, before she continued with her story. "And some of the locals told me that it was quite fun to feed the fish under water. So that's what the bread is for." She shrugged. "It sure is a beautiful sight to see all those colorful fish swimming up to you. You should try it, to!"

I nodded and smiled politely at her, and tried not to show that I thought this was one of the weirdest things I ever heard. Being swarmed by hungry fish? But I didn't got the time to think about it more, as Rach had just approached our table. "Good morning, everyone!" She said cheerfully. "The boat which is going to take us to shore is there, are you all coming?" She stood behind James' chair, and rested one hand on his shoulder, and my mood dropped. Despite everything I had said to her yesterday, it seemed like she was still carrying on with her plan. Didn't she care about James' feelings at all? But I didn't say anything. I had said whatever I needed to say yesterday. Should I warn James? No. He was smart enough to figure it out by himself. I got up when everyone else did, and followed Rach outside.


	19. Chapter Nine: Continued

[u][b]Chapter Nine: Continued.[/u][/b]

The boat trip to shore was short, but nice. I was seated near the edge of the boat, and enjoyed the cool breeze and the little water drops splashing on my face. After five minutes, Petunia started to complain about being sea sick. I was positive that she wasn't, she was just trying to make my parents believe it so she could go back, anything but spending the day around magical folk, but my mother gave her one stern look, and I didn't hear her anymore after that.

I desperately tried not to look into Rach's and James' direction, who had their head bend close to each other and were whispering. Sometimes Rach's high ringing laughter disturbed my thought, but I tried to ban it out. Nothing would ruin my day and my good mood.

We had only just stepped foot on shore before our diving instructor, Eddie, walked towards us and lead us onto a different, slightly bigger boat. There, he showed us all the different pieces of equipment, how to put them on in which order, but this just seemed to simple, and the way he told it! He just had such a monotone, boring voice. Trust me, it was even worse then Professor Binns, and that sure said something. I didn't pay much attention to it anymore, and started to look around at the people around me.

I suddenly noticed to specific people were missing. I looked around the deck, until I saw them. Rach and James. James with that mischievous look in his eyes that I knew all to well, and Rach trying to suppress her giggles. They both sneaked into a little cabin and closed the door behind them. So this was it, I thought to myself. Rach would kiss him, to add him on the list for her stupid bet, and leave James with some dumb excuse, like she had done this entire holiday so far with every other guy. My stomach felt like stone, but altogether I couldn't help but ponder how James didn't see right through her. I would've thought he was smarter then that.

I jumped slightly when everyone around me was getting up. I hadn't noticed the instruction was over. Cursing slightly under my breath, I stood up as well. I pulled off my jeans shorts and my white t-shirt, and rummaged through the crate with flippers, looking for my own size. Bad thing was, these things didn't have the little numbers inside them so you could see which size they were, so I picked out a random pair that looked like they would fit and sat down on the deck, trying to put them on. I was wondering whether I should get a smaller pair or not, when Mr. and Mrs. Potter walked up to me. They were already fully equipped. To me they kind of looked like aliens from a different planet, and I couldn't help but shudder at the thought how I would look when I had everything on.

Mrs. Potter sat down next to me. It was only then when I noticed she had the bread in her hand. She really was carrying on with that plan? "Didn't you bring some bread, dear?" She asked me. "It sure is fun to feed the fish under water. Here, have some of mine. I got plenty with me!" And with that, she pushed the bread in my right hand. Feeling it would be impolite to refuse, I gave her a smile and thanked her. She smiled back at me and gave my shoulder a slight squeeze. "Have fun, and enjoy the view under water!" And with that, she stood up. She held Mr. Potter's hand as they walked over to the edge. They held their glass masks with their free hands, and jumped. I got up sighing and pulled on the rest of my equipment as well.

Just then, I saw Rach and James coming out of the cabin, after doing god knows what. Suddenly I realized I must look rather stupid with those flippers, the mask and all that, and on top of that, with a piece of bread in my hand. I quickly made my way over to the edge, and holding my breath, I jumped into the water.

The water was nice and warm. In fact, it was so warm, that my glass mask started to get misty on the glass. I remembered the instructor saying something about spitting in your mask first before putting it on. That way, the glass wouldn't become misty, but the idea only, brr!

When I opened my eyes for the first time under water, I panicked. Fish, loads of fish. Big ones, smaller ones, ones that blended in with the colors of their surroundings, and also very colorful ones. To me, it seemed like there were hundreds of them. All eying the bread, all coming towards me, fast. I kicked my legs to get away from them, but to me it looked I barely moved. I tried to breathe, but all I breathed in was a large gulp of water. Choking, I dropped the bread and kicked my legs and arms, making my way to the surface. At one point, I thought one fish bit my neck, and I slapped feverishly. After what seemed like ages to me, I broke through the surface. I screamed. I screamed my heart out. I didn't hear someone jumping into the water not far away from me. I didn't notice someone swimming towards me. But not long after that, I felt a hand pulling the mask of my face and then two strong arms around me, holding me tight. I wrapped my arms around my rescuer's neck, holding on tight, panting heavily.

After my breathing and my heartbeat had gone down, I finally looked up to my rescuer. I wanted to apologize to this person, I hadn't been in grave danger, but still he had come to help me. But when I saw who it was, I couldn't say anything. I was in James' arms. "Shh." She whispered. "You're above the surface now, nothing can harm you. They just wanted the bread, nothing else. They don't like the taste of girls."

A small nervous giggle escaped my lips. "One bit me in the neck though." I said. My teeth clattered together, I had been colder then I thought. But James' arms didn't move, he never let go of me.

He chuckled. "Guess he had been mistaken when he picked his lunch." He said, and I smiled. "But you're safe now."

I nodded. "Thanks." I muttered. James didn't reply. He just bored his eyes into mine, and I couldn't look away from his. He pushed one wet strand of hair from my forehead and tucked it behind my ear. And suddenly he bend forward and his lips touched mine.


	20. Chapter Nine: Still Continued

[u][b]Chapter Nine: Continued.[/b][/u]

I don't know what I felt or thought when he was kissing me. I don't think I was thinking at all. But I felt my stomach doing somersaults. My heart beated feverishly, music rang in my ears, and fireworks flashed inside my head. And then I saw Eric's face flash before my eyes. Panicking, I pushed James away from me.

I saw the hurt in James' eyes. Out of habit, he ran a hand trough his dark, messy wet hair. "I think this is the moment I should apologize for my actions." He said. "But I can't, Lily. I'm in love with you. And I have been for a very long time."

I just shook my head, splashing water everywhere. "No no no." I whispered. "This can't be happening. I feel so bad for Eric..." I looked up at James again.

His eyes narrowed. "Oh yes, Eric." He said, disappointment dripping from every word. "I had almost forgotten about him. And I hoped you had, too."

I shook my head again, biting my lower lip. I picked up the parts of my diving equipment that James had pulled off my head when he came to rescue me, which was floating somewhere beside. me. "Thanks for rescuing me." I said, while putting the mask and such back onto my head. "I really appreciate it. I have to... Go. I need to be alone. Thanks again." James just nodded at me and then swam away from me. I couldn't look at him anymore. I couldn't stand to see the hurt in his eyes, and couldn't face the hurt in my heart yet. There was one emotion that tried to take over me. Confusion. I breathed in deeply, held my breath, and dove under water.

I tried to clear my head from then on, and it worked surprisingly well, but maybe that was just because the world under water was so much different from the world above the surface. The fish looked so much less scary then they did while I was holding some bread. They swam by peacefully, sometimes on their own, sometimes in large groups. I saw coral in all the colors and shapes and sizes you could imagine. I even saw a sunken ship, and I couldn't help but wonder what treasures could be hidden inside. If it had been my choice, I would've stayed under water forever. But all to soon, when I had stuck my head above the surface for some breath, I heard the horn of the small boat. Time to get back. Time to let confusion take over again.

Once I was back on the ship I stayed away from James for as long as possible. I didn't even go down to the restaurant for dinner that night. My stomach was rumbling, but I hid myself in my cabin, curled up on my bed, a pillow pressed against my stomach. Thoughts were running wildly though my head. I just couldn't understand. I had been so in love with Eric. But with James... His kiss still burned on my lips, and I had felt comfortable in his arms. If I was completely honest with myself, although I tried very hard to deny it, I felt more for James then for Eric. And for the first time since I got on this ship, I looked at things rational. What kind of future would my relationship with Eric have? I didn't even know where he lived! I hardly knew anything about him. What would be wisdom here?

It was already getting dark outside when I heard a sharp tap on my door. I got up, stretching my limbs which had gotten all stiff because I had laid in the same position for hours, and walked over to the door. I was expecting to see my mom in the door way when I opened the door, to ask me why I hadn't showed up at dinner. But it wasn't my mother, it was Rach. She stepped into my cabin and plopped herself down onto my bed. "There's a time for hiding, but this isn't it." Rach said. "C'mon, let's go out and have some fun."

I sighed and sat down on the bed next to her, pressing the pillow against my stomach again. "Not tonight, Rach." I muttered, looking down. I didn't dare to look her in the eyes.

"Why not?" She asked. "Is it because you kissed James and don't know what to do now because Eric is still out there?" I looked up at her, my eyes wide with shock. She simply shrugged. "Don't think I didn't see it, Lily. I have eyes to, you know."

For a moment I didn't knew what to say. "I'm sorry." I finally choked out.

Rach raised one eyebrow at me. "Sorry for what?"

I felt my cheeks flush. "Well, I guess I kind of kissed your boyfriend." I said. "Okay, I did, not kind of." I continued as Rach began to laugh.

"Oh, Lils." Rach said, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "You know I'm not the type to have boyfriends."

"Oh?" I said. "Then what did you two do back on that boat in that cabin while everyone else was getting instructed?" I couldn't help the small accusing undertone in my voice. Not even I knew where that came from.

Rach shrugged. "We did nothing." She said. She sighed when she saw from the look in my eyes that I didn't believe her. "Honestly, Lily. We did nothing. I knew you were uncomfortable with the idea of me using him for my bet, so I told him in all honesty about it, and no matter how much he liked me, he didn't wanted to cooperate. But even if I didn't tell him, I still don't think he would've kissed me. He's to head over heels with someone else." She winked at me.

I sighed sadly. This situation was just so complicated, I really didn't know what to do anymore. But then something occurred to me. "If you didn't kiss James..." I said, looking over at my alarm. It was eleven o'clock in the evening. "Then that means you got exactly one hour left to find a guy and kiss him, before you lose your bet."

Rach nodded and then got back on her feet again. "That's why I'm here to pick you up." She said. "There's a buffet at the pool. I know you didn't have dinner, so you must be starving. So it's a win-win situation. You go eat, and I'll go find a guy. Sounds good?" I thought about it for a moment, and then I got up. The entire James/Eric situation wouldn't get any better anyways, so I might as well go out there with Rach and distract myself. And besides, my stomach started to hurt now because of the hunger I felt. Together we walked out of my cabin, heading to the pool.


	21. Chapter Nine: Again, continued

[b][u]Chapter Nine: Continued.[/u][/b]

I only had one word for the buffet at the pool. Huge. I think it was even bigger then the Gryffindor house table, and they had absolutely anything. You name it, they had it. Well, except for some things that we might have in the wizarding world of course, but you get what I mean. Once me and Rach had loaded our plates with everything we liked, we walked over to one of the small round tables. We walked slowly. Our plates were so full, one wrong movement, and something would fell off the edge for sure. We were giggling madly, but finally, we made it to the table without dropping anything.

I was happy that things between me and Rach were like they were a few days ago. Just two girls having a good time and a good laugh. I was happy to have someone like Rachel, someone who cared about my feelings and wouldn't kiss the guy I liked and possibly loved, just to win her bet. My mind started to drift off and my head filled itself with difficult thoughts and feelings.

I still had no clue what to do with Eric, and my possible love for James. And even so, what if I did fell for James? There were still a lot of things to think about. First, what would things be like when we got back to Hogwarts? He had acted so much different then he did while at school. He hadn't pulled any practical jokes on me whatsoever. Come to think of it, not even Sirius had. Who said he wouldn't go back to his old self the second we stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express?

And second. I had pushed him away when he was kissing me, hadn't I? Would he actually still want me? Did he believe I was being serious? Maybe after this fiasco, he had finally decided to move on. I pushed a piece of potato around on my plate with my fork, staring vaguely at it while resting my head on my hand. Why did love always have to be this difficult?

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Rachel, who was waving a hand in front of my face frantically. I faked a smile, and looked up. "Not full already, are you?" She asked me smirking, one eyebrow raised.

I patted my stomach. "Just about." I said grinning. "But I think there's still some room for dessert." Rach grinned back at me and nodded. Giggling, we both stood up and walked back over to the buffet, to the far end of the table.

"So what are you taking for dessert?" Rach asked me, eyeing all the dishes with the most delicious sweet pies and cakes in the world.

I had already chosen my desert of course, my most favorite one. "I'm taking the strawberry and cream pie." I said nodding, while grabbing a plate from the pile next to the plate with chocolate muffins. "What about you?"

I watched her as she was reaching out her hand to the plate with donuts. Well, to the plate with just the last donut left. But she wasn't the only one who wanted it. Just before she could get it, someone else got there first, and put it on his plate. I looked up, and saw it was none other then Sirius. He winked at me. Rach pouted. "I wanted that one, too." She said in her most sugar sweet voice, looking at Sirius from under her eyelashes.

Sirius just shrugged. "To bad then, I got there first." He said. Rach laughed her sweetest ringing laugh. I already thought I knew where this was going, so I looked at my watch. Five minutes to midnight, exactly five minutes for Rach to kiss a guy.

Rach took a step closer to Sirius. "I got an idea." She said, batting her eyelashes at Sirius, and I clasped one hand over my mouth. "If you give me that donut, I'll give you something else. Something way more delicious then that donut."

Sirius just shrugged. "You mean that banana mousse over there?" He asked as if he had no idea where this was going, and I tried to supress my laughter so hard, that my stomach started to feel painful. "In that case you're wrong, I don't fancy banana's very much."

Finally, Rach started to see that this approach wasn't working that well either. She folded her arms in front of her chest. "No of course I don't mean that banana garbage, you dufus." She sneered. "I meant a kiss. From me."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her. "A kiss, from you." He stated, and at this point, I had the feeling I could burst out in laughter any moment. "I'm sorry, eh, Raquel, was it? But, you don't appeal to me that much. I don't like girls this who are this easy. You can keep that kiss. And the donut." He held out the plate with the donut towards her, and once she had taken it from him, rather flabbergasted, he walked away.

First Rach was to stunned to do anything at all. Then her face started to turn red, and then her hands started shaking. "GAH!" She called out at last, and she stomped her feet onto the ground. I looked at my watch. It was midnight.


	22. Chapter Ten: Decisions

[b][u]Chapter Ten: Decisions have to be made.[/u][/b]

The next day, when Rach and I were sitting by the pool, Rach kept on ranting and complaining about Sirius. How she didn't find him that attractive at all. How he probably would have bad breath anyway. He was to short. His eyes were to grey. His hair was to long. And so on and so forth. I was sure she only said these things because she was so disappointed that she had lost her bet. On other days, I would have cut her off by now, telling her to shut up, but I couldn't be asked today. And second, this kind of kept my mind off my own problems, that I still hadn't sorted out.

"I mean, really." Rach ranted on. "You say he's so darn popular at your school, and that all the girls are after him, but what's so interesting about this guy? You never fancied him, did you? So you [i]must[/i] know what I am talking about. Gah, I can't believe I wasted my time with him last night, or I'm sure I would've won my bet."

All of the sudden, an idea occurred to me. Maybe, just maybe... She hadn't lost her bet at all! "Rach." I said, excitedly. Well, I tried to sound excited, to conceal my true mood. Yes, I still felt miserable. I didn't even sleep last night. I turned my head towards Rachel. "What was the actual bet?" I asked her.

Rach looked at me, a confused expression on her face. "There's no point, Lily." She said, sighing. "I failed to kiss one guy every day of this cruise, so I lost my bet. Gah, double homework for a month." She leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking so sour Petunia might be proud.

"Well, maybe there is." I said, a grin spreading across my face. "If you agreed to kiss seven guys on this cruise, but not specifically one each day, you still have a chance to win your bet, but then you'd better hurry."

The facial expression she wore now was a complete contradiction to the one she had only seconds before. She looked triumphantly, and jumped up. "That's just [i]it[/i]!" She said, pumping her fist into the air. "All I have to do now today, is kiss two guys, and then I'll be fine!" She ran over to me and gave me a tight hug. "Thank you, Lily. You're the best." She released me and sat down again. "If there's anything I can do for you, just ask me." She smiled.

I returned hers with a rather weak one of my own. " Thanks." I muttered. "If only you could tell me what to do about this entire James and Eric situation." I sighed, leaned back in my chair and looked out over the open sea.

Rach fell silent for a moment. "Well, you know I don't have much experience with love, because it's just not for me." She said. "But maybe I can help you."

I looked at her. "How?" I asked sadly. "I don't think anyone could help me. Because I have no idea what to do or what I feel!"

Rach nodded. "There's a way to find out." She said. "Just answer these questions. One, who do you know best, James, or Eric?"

I laughed. This was ridiculous. "James of course, I've gone to school with him for six years!"

Rach nodded, but didn't laugh with me. Her facial expression was dead serious. "Two, who would you most likely see after this cruise has ended?" She asked.

I shook my head in disbelief. This really wasn't going anywhere. "James for sure." I answered without hesitation. "We still have one year of school left. And Eric..." I thought about that for a moment. "He said we'd see about that." I finished my sentence defensively.

"Okay." Rach said. "And three, which one of the two was on your mind first thing this morning?"

I didn't answer. Of course I knew ruddy well who had been on my mind first thing this morning, but then again, it didn't matter who was the first! I'd I thought about James just as much as I thought about Eric, so what did it matter who was the first?

Rach sighed when I didn't answer, so she stayed silent for a while, looking around boredly. After a minute or two, she jumped up excitedly. "Lils!" She said excitedly, about to jump up and down in joy. "I think I can see James at the other side of the pool, near the ice cream stand!"

I followed her pointing finger, craning my neck. "Well, I don't see him." I said. "Where do you see him?" I looked up at Rach, who was grinning, and obviously trying to hold back her laughter. My eyes narrowed. "You were lying about seeing him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Rach sat back down, nodding and grinning. "So what if I was?" She asked me, shrugging. "But you still haven't answered my question. Who was on your mind first thing this morning? But I think I can already guess." She smirked.

I sighed. "You're right." I said. I leaned back in my seat and looked down at my knees. "It was James." I moved my gaze up, and met Rach's eyes. "So what does that mean?" I already knew the answer.

Rach bent forward. "Lily." She said to me in a very low voice, placing one hand on my knee. "I do believe you really liked Eric, but I know that now you see that you and him can't have a future. And really, have you been searching for a guy like Eric all along, or was it really that you loved James all along, but were just to stubborn to see it?"

I nodded. "I guess so." I said, sighing sadly. "That doesn't mean I didn't like Eric, and didn't have a good time with him. But maybe it's best if I just stayed friends with him." I smiled weakly. "But then again, do you actually think James still wants me after I pushed him away, for like the millionth time, only this time not figuratively, but literally?"

Rach gave me a reasurring smile and squeezed my knee softly. "He'd be crazy if he refused you."

I smiled at her and stood up. "Thanks Rach." I said. "For everything."

She got up to her feet as well. "And thanks to you to, Lily." She said. "For everything. So what are you going to do now?"

I shrugged. "I guess I'd better go find Eric and cancel our date." I said. "He won't like it, I'm sure of that, but I can't pretend that I'm in love with him. It won't be easy." I sighed. "And after that I'd better go find James and talk to him. This is going to be one of the most difficult days of my life, I'm sure."

Rach nodded and gave me a reassuring hug. "You'll get through this." She muttered in my ear. "You're strong, you can do this."

I smiled and hugged her back. "So what are you going to do now?" I asked when she had let go of me.

Rach grinned at me in that very mischievous way. "I have a bet to win, now don't I?" She said and giggled. "I guess I'll see you later then."

I nodded and waved her goodbye. "See you soon." I said. And then we both turned around. She was off to find her next victim. And I started to make my way towards the children's deck, and prayed for this all to have a happy end.


	23. Chapter Ten: Continued

[b][u]Chapter Ten: Continued.[/b][/u]

On my way to the children's deck multiple scenario's played through my head. But it didn't matter how you put it, or how you started the conversation, this wasn't going to be pleasant. I just hoped that Eric wouldn't be to sad and disappointed. I really felt bad for him, but I couldn't help that I had fallen in love with someone else. And besides, there were other girls out there, probably much more suitable for Eric.

I stopped at the corner and took a deep breath. Okay Lils, this is it, I thought to myself. Remember, this has to be done, and Eric has a right to know the truth. My legs felt like they were made of jelly, and I felt like I could start hyperventilating any time, but I had to pull myself together. This has to be done, I thought repeatedly. This has to be done, this has to be done, this has to be done. Taking another deep breath, I walked around the corner, onto the the children's deck.

To my great displeasure, Eric wasn't there. This was already hard enough, without having to look all over the place for him. The deck was almost empty, except for two people. One was a guy wearing the same shirt all of the crew members wore, piling some chairs, and there, next to the kid's pool, was Kaylee, her feet dangling into the water, watching the ripples her feet made on the smooth surface as she moved her legs back and forth slowly, looking rather bored. I smiled slightly to myself and went to sit next to her. "Hey Kaylee!" I greeted her, hoping that my voice sounded cheerful enough. "Why are you sitting here all alone?"

Kaylee looked up to me and shrugged. "Just waiting for mom to pick me up." She stated. "She should be here any moment.

I nodded and smiled at her. "Okay." I said. "Listen Kay Kay, have you seen Eric somewhere around here? I need to talk to him, it's rather urgent."

Kaylee pointed with her thumb at the guy who was still busy piling chairs. "He was talking to Jayden about ten minutes ago, before you got here." She said, nodding. "Talking about you actually." My stomach made a somersault, but not particularly in the good way. He had been talking about me. Gosh I felt so bad for him. Well, I did, before Kaylee said: "He said he looked so much forward to tonight. He said you were pretty hot, but just for one evening. What does that mean, Lily?"

Anger boiled inside me. I felt like I could just kick the crap out of anything around me until there was nothing more left then just a big pile of firewood, but I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. This wasn't Kaylee's fault, in fact, she didn't even understand what was going on. "Nothing Kaylee." I said, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice. "It means absolutely nothing. Listen, do you know where he went after he talked to Jayden? Now I really need to have a chat with him."

Kaylee shrugged. "He went up those flight of stairs." She said, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder. "Where he went from there I don't know."

I nodded and gave her a smile. "Thanks Kaylee." I said as I got up. I stroked her head once. "See you later." I turned around and walked away, but then Kaylee called after me.

"Wait!" She yelled after me in her sweet seven-year-old-girlie voice. She ran over to where I was standing, rummaging through her left jeans pocket. "Here." She said and she held her hand out to me, to take what was inside. She put five thick golden coins in my hand. "You don't need to pay me to be your little sister. I do that for free." I smiled and she smiled back at me. All of a sudden her eyes turned wide as an idea formed itself inside her head. "Hey, can't you really be my sister, aww please?" She tilted her head slightly to the side.

I sighed. "I would love to dear, but I'm afraid we can't." I said, and Kaylee pouted. "Because if I would be your sister, I would also be James' sister, and I don't think that would be a good idea." Right then, I could've smacked myself in the face for saying that. Sometimes I could be to much of a blabbermouth.

Kaylee looked puzzled. "So what you're trying to say is, you don't like James that much?" She asked me. I guessed she was trying to sound accusing, but failing miserably. She was just to young for that.

I shook my head. "That's the point, Kaylee." I said. Well, I started this topic, so I might as well tell her. "I like him to much, that's why."

A wide grin spread across her face. "Oh, so you mean you're in love with him!" She exclaimed happily. "This is so cool!"

I lowered myself so our eyes were on the same level and put my hands on her shoulder. "Listen, Kaylee." I said. "This is our little secret, okay? You can't tell James what I just told you." Watching Kaylee could be so fun at times. You could read everything she felt or thought right off her face. Right now, confusion was spread all over. "Please, promise me you won't tell him?" I gave her the best begging, pleading look I had in me.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh alright, I won't tell him." She said, and I smiled. "Lucky for you I'm so good at keeping secrets." She said as she folded her arms in front of her chest, and I laughed.

"Thanks Kaylee, I owe you this one." I said and got back up again. "But now I really need to talk to Eric, I'll see you!" I waved at her and walked over to the flight of stairs.

I climbed the flight of stairs, wondering where I would have to go from here, but finding Eric turned out to be much more easier that I thought. He was about ten feet away from me, sunbathing. Part of me hoped that the search for Eric would take a lot longer, I really didn't look forward to this conversation, but I had to do this. For his sake, and my own. I took a deep breath and then called out his name. "Eric! Can we talk? It's rather important!"


	24. Chapter Ten: Still continued

[b]Chapter Ten: Continued.[/b][/u]

I took a few steps towards him, and saw him opening one eye to see who had just disturbed him. At the moment he saw me, a grin spread across his face, showing two rows of perfectly white, shimmering teeth. Yesterday, that grin would have made my stomach do somersaults. Now, after what I've just heard from Kaylee, it made me feel sick.

"Well hello there, Lily-flower!" Eric said as he got up onto his feet, and I swallowed. How could he even call me that!? Like he actually would care for me. Like he wasn't the sick, awful man I knew he was now. "Quite impatient, aren't you? To much excited to wait for tonight huh?"

We walked over to me and tried to wrap his arms around me, but I took one step back. "As I said Eric, I need to talk to you about something." I said, and I took a deep breath. This was it, I thought to myself. Now let's hope he'll just takes it and leaves. "I'm here to cancel our date. This just doesn't... Feel right." Okay, that wasn't entirely true, it didn't feel right at all. Truth was, he made me sick. But, being the chicken that I am, I didn't dare to tell him.

Right then, I would have expected him to leave it at that, nod, wish me a good day, and walk off. But he didn't. Instead, his smile grew wider. He took one step towards me again, but this time I wasn't fast enough. Before I knew it, he had his arms wrapped tightly around me. My arms were locked. I couldn't do anything. "I'm sure you don't want to cancel our plans for tonight." He said, and I got a very sour taste in my mouth. "I'm guessing you're just a little scared. But that's okay. I know that deep down you know that this is right. You like me, Lily. Don't be afraid to admit it. No, the real reason why you came to look for me, is because you wanted a little preview of tonights events."

I tried to push him away, but he wouldn't give. "No, Eric that's not why I came to see you!" I said. I tried not to show any weaknesses, but I felt tears prickling behind my eyelids. "I'm here to cancel our plans! I don't like you! As a matter of fact, I will never like you, now let me go!" I started hitting him in the chest, but it still wouldn't work.

Right then, I felt like I really was going to start crying. But then I heard a voice I was never expecting to hear. A voice which rang in my ear like music. For the first time in my life, I had never been so relieved to hear that particular voice. I instantly turned my head into his direction. "Hey!" James yelled, running over towards me and Eric. "I thought she just said plans were canceled and to let her go, can't you take a hint!?"

Eric turned his head towards James, his eyes narrowing. "Your sister and I are rather busy here, can't you see?" He said rather rudely. "So can't you go away, I'm sure you have other businesses to take care off."

"Well maybe I am not his sister!" I yelled in outrage. "And I already told you! The date it off! I don't ever want to see you again! Now let me go!" I pushed him in the chest again. At that moment, James grabbed Eric's shoulder. I felt his arms loosening up around me, and that's when I grabbed my chance. I clenched my hand into a tight fist, and striked. I hit him straight in the jaw, and finally, he let me go. He grabbed his face in both hands, yelling in pain.

When I was finally free, I didn't wait around for to long. I grabbed James' hand and started running. Luckily, he didn't tried to break free to go for Eric again, but he ran with me. I didn't stop running until I was at least three decks below. I didn't wait to catch my breath. Instead, I flung my arms around James. "How did you know I was up there?" I asked him, out of breath.

He simply shrugged. "Kaylee." He said. He didn't seem to be as out of breath as I was. Probably because of the sports he played, Quidditch mainly.

I smiled. "Thank you." I said, and I reached up to his face to kiss him. For a moment I felt him freeze under my touch, but then he kissed me back.


	25. Chapter Ten: Again, continued

[u][b]Chapter Ten: Continued.[/u][/b]

The kiss didn't last long. James pushed me away from him, slowly, but surely, and looked me straight into the eye. It hurt him to do it, I saw the pain in is eyes, but he seemed determent. He sighed, and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Lily, don't. He muttered, looking down at his feet.

I felt confused. He had been after me ever since fourth year, and now that I finally feel the same about him as he's feeling about me, he's pushing me away. "What's wrong?" I asked him as I layed my hand on his forearm. The contrast was rather amusing. While he had gotten all tan since we got on this ship, I was still as pale as I always was.

James took a deep breath, and then looked up into my eyes again. "I just think you're not really sure of what you're doing." He stated.

Okay, so now I was really confused. What could convince him even more then that kiss I just gave him? "I don't exactly know what you mean by that, James." I said.

"I just don't think you're really in love with me." He said, but I still saw the hope in his eyes. "Is it really me you're in love with, or is it just the feeling of being in love? Like, you have to have a summer romance, because it's summer, and you wouldn't feel right if you didn't have one? I just think this isn't your heart speaking, but just the sun."

I shook my head in disbelief. "No no James, it's nothing like that." I exclaimed. "I really am in love with you. You have to believe me. Why else would I blow off the date with Eric?"

James shrugged. "Maybe because you finally opened you eyes, finally found out what a jerk he actually is, just like I've been telling you all along?" He said, and I cringed. I knew he was right, and I knew I had been wrong for telling James at the welcoming feast that I was sure Eric liked me, but still, rubbing salt in the open wounds hurt. As he just said, I had finally opened my eyes, saw that I had been wrong about Eric, and also saw what I had been denying for years. I really was in love with him, but how much would it take to convince him?

I sighed. "I know James, you have been right all along, and I was wrong." I muttered, looking down at my feet, shifting my weight uncomfortably. "But believe me when I say I am in love with you. What do I have to do to convince you?" I looked back up into his beautiful hazel eyes, pleading almost.

James sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. He didn't answer my question. "I just wished that what you said was true, but I'm really not sure whether to believe you or not." He said softly. "I think I'd better go." He nodded, and turned around.

"But James!" I said, grabbing his hand. He turned around once more, gave my hand a small squeeze while looking me straight into my eyes, and then turned around again and walked off.

[i]A/N: I apologize for the shortness of it, I tried to stretch it out as much as I could, but it didn't feel right to fill this entire post with things that are irrelevant to the situation portrayed here. But considering it's the last part of chapter ten, it'll suffice I guess. Hope you all enjoyed it still, despite the shortness![/i]


	26. Chapter Ten: Last part of this chapter!

[b][u]Chapter Ten: Continued.[/b][/u]

That night, I stalled going down for dinner for as much as I could. I knew my parents wouldn't approve of me of skipping yet another dinner, second one in a row, with my family and the Potters, so sighing, at the last possible minute, I got up from my bed, which I had been sitting on, trying to read a book, for the rest of the afternoon. I put on my most favorite emerald green halter dress, which I had been told by others brought out my eyes even more, yanked a hairbrush through my hair and left my cabin. I had only just rounded the corner, when I heard someone coming up behind me. "Lils!" I heard the familiar voice of Rach calling out to me. "Wait up!"

I turned around, surprised, and watched Rachel running around the corner and skidding into a halt before me, slightly panting. "Shouldn't you be down in the restaurant, having dinner?" I asked her, confused. I had seen her earlier in the afternoon, sure enough nothing that important could've happened in the mean time that she just had to talk to me.

Still slightly out of breath, Rach shrugged as we both started walking again. "I convinced my uncle and auntie to share a table with you, your family and the Potters tonight, thought you might need the distraction." She explained. "Once I noticed you weren't there, I came looking for you. Where were you heading anyway?"

"I was just about to go down there." I said, rather defensively. "But what do you mean, I might need the distraction?" I was confused really. Surely she couldn't already know what had happened after we parted this afternoon?

Rach shrugged again. "I ran into that Black kid earlier." She said, and I couldn't help but laugh. Rach, being the smart girl that she is, grinned. "I know what you're thinking, so no, we didn't kiss. Not that I want to anyways. He actually only stopped in his tracks to talk to me, because apparently he had heard some things from James, and thought you might need a friend."

I slightly cringed as she said that, but it was barely noticeable, once I thought about the events that occurred this afternoon. "Yeah, Eric was a right down brat." I said sourly, hoping she would skip over the entire situation with James which happened afterwards. But of course, that hope was in vain.

"Yeah, and that too." She said, smirking sarcastically and sourly. That told me enough. "I still can't believe James turned you down though." She continued, as the restaurant came in sight. "He had been after you for what, four years? But now that you like him, he's chickening out! See, that's why I don't fall in love. Boys only give you a headache." She nodded wisely.

I just shrugged as I pushed open the door to the restaurant. "It's not exactly like that, he's not chickening out." I said. "But can we drop the subject now? I really don't want to talk about it." Finally, Rach picked up the hints, and she didn't say any more about it.

I sat down next to Kaylee, because I was sure she would keep me occupied and entertained for the time dinner lasted. Luckily for me, Rach didn't bring the subject up anymore, and to any outsider, it would look like I had the time of my life. I ate, laughed with everyone else at the table, and watched the entertainment crew limbo dancing, and picking out people in the restaurant at random to join.

No one could tell from the look on my face how I was really feeling deep down inside me. I hardly even looked in James' direction, only if I really had to. He had given me to many opportunities, and I turned away from him each time. Now, he had turned away from me, and although it hurt like nothing else I've ever gone through, even that time in Fifth year where my former best friend had turned against me and called me a mudblood in public, I could understand. Ha, only a fool would try it again after Lily Evans turned you down the amount of times she had turned James down. But secretly, I hoped he would try. But what were the odds of that ever happening again? It was going to be hard, but it would be best if I would try to forget about him altogether, because somehow, I guessed we were just never meant to be together.


End file.
